Filling in the Dark Beats
by Hayashinkage17
Summary: A boy with a dark past had been executed on his mission. But his regrets (sadly unknown to him) made him be sent into the afterlife with almost no memories except his little memories as an assassin. With the SSS finding and helping him, could he recover his memory, finding his regret and pass on? My very first trial on Angel Beats!. Characters might be OOC but I'm trying not to.
1. An Ijuin Assassin's Demise

****Story**** ****: Filling In the Dark Beats.****

 ** **Inspired by the story: Angel Beats: Rifts and Beats by Urter****

 ** **So after reading the story by Urter, and watching a little Angel Beats! anime, I started to try this fiction. And other than Kanade, I thought I liked the side-character Miyuki Irie better than the other GiDeMo members, so I think I'll try make an OCXIrie story just like author Urter had done.****

 ** **Summary**** ****: A boy, with a dark past had been executed on his mission. But his regrets (sadly unknown to him) made him be sent into the afterlife with almost no memories except his little memories as an assassin. With the SSS finding and helping him, could he recover his memory, finding his regret and pass on? My very first trial on Angel Beats! Characters might be OOC but I'm trying not to.****

 ** **Disclaimer: I don't own Angel Beats, its plot and its characters, I only own my OC Shugo Nishida and Gyuki Kinoshita. Ijuin is a made-up name. Any same names are purely coincidental****

 ** **Without Further Ado, here goes the first chapter!****

Chapter 1: An Ijuin Assassin's Demise

-Shugo's PoV-

I tried to move my body, but seems like my own body betrayed me, err...well, actually no, the surroundings betrayed me. My hands were tied on my back, so do my legs, and I was forced on a kneeling position. My dark golden eyes can't make out a vision except blurs of dirty white and dark red, well from what I had felt on my head, or at least how I managed to feel, I was also blindfolded. My clothes were ripped, my bare skin shivered from the unnatural coldness in the room. Damn, next time I had to turn off all air-conditioners in my HQ, this coldness is killing me.

Oh well, what a logic...

And well, that's if I could make this out, alive. With my condition right now, there's no way I could escape by myself. Not to mention all of my limbs are tied up. And where the hell is my pistol?

Wait, how should I know? It could be still on my belt, but again I can't feel it, and even if it's there, it's impossible to take it out from the "pocket".

I tried my best to move my body, even with tied limbs I should've been possible to make a little move. But...

"Not something you expected, eh?" An annoying, evil-like voice approached my ears. That voice was the most recognizable of all voices that I have heard before.

And ironically was the most hated voice I have heard before.

"Shugo Nishida," the voice spoke again, "Or in our "world" we know you as __Shizu no Suraisa__ (Silent Slicer). Your reputation as the calmest and the most silent of all of Ijuin assassins had spread throughout the world of assassinations. You were always known on your perfectly silent assassination, and, unlike other assassins, you "kept mercy" by letting the victims die in peace or dying slowly without too much scars. And of course, your trademark is a five-inch slice on your victim's stomach. Heh, for standing in front of you myself, this is really an "honor"."

"Shut up, Gyuki! What do you want?" I retorted.

"Oh, so you already know me? Then I shouldn't waste my time for introduction, should I?" The man known as Gyuki chuckled in front of me.

Then I heard nothing, but I felt something on the back of my head, reaching on my blindfold tie and ripped it cruelly. Despite being an assassin for nearly nine years, I could still felt the intense pain of the sudden rip-off on my eyes.

With the strength I have left, I opened my hurt eyes and barely made out a vision of my arch-enemy, the gang-leader Gyuki Kinoshita.

He was supposed to be my leader, if not for some guys, probably another assassination group which I joined for roughly nine years, took me from that hell. This guy, if not ugly, could be recognized as a trans...well you know what.

"Shugo Nishida, the one that should have been my accomplice nine years ago, but turned on my back and joined the Ijuin, you think you could outsmart me by the sabotaging of my turf map? Sorry, but it takes more than a sloppy, weak assassin to fully understand my real plot. It was much more than that, but I appreciate your thoughts and your techniques." Gyuki stated. "It actually hurts that this world have to lose such a young and bright assassin like you, but it seems I have no choice."

I felt something on my back of my head, and this time I could make out that it was a pistol, but this one is a bit soft, like... ** **a silenced pistol.**** I immediately looked down and saw that my signature silenced MK-23 was gone.

 _ _Darn it__

Then, I looked in front again and saw Gyuki's standing figure. I looked up and saw his smirking face, and with that darn ugly make-up.

"Any last words, Shugo?"

"Yes, and it will be my first check to see if you're really a man or just an excuse of it."

Without thoughts, I slammed my forehead on his crotch, startling that shithead out of his mind, and I tried to get up, but to no avail. Then I felt something gently stabbing me on my right arm, I turned on my right and saw a syringe held by one of Gyuki's underlings.

"Hope this could calm you down." he said.

Slowly, I felt my strength seeping away, and slowly I felt my consciousness beginning to seep also. But again, now I felt the same silencer on my back of head again.

"Bold move, kid. But you made me lose my patience. So I have to explain now. You will die on my hands, but this time, I gave you an honorable death by killing you with your same method. You hear me, __Shizu no Suraisa__?"

 _ _Dammit, I should do something, but, my body...__

"At least...I died...knowing your balls...be sterile..."

And so he punched me on my gut, then I could faintly looked at his hand, which was holding a knife.

"I messed up a little bit, so instead of leaving the mark after death, like you usually do, this time, you have the right to witness it before your death instead."

With that he stabbed and slowly sliced my stomach with the knife, creating exactly a 5-inch scar. I could faintly wince in pain."

"Goodbye, Silent Slicer."

And with that, I heard a gunshot, then everything faded to darkness.

-Afterlife-

"Urgh, my head..."

I felt my head hurt as I tried to open my eyes. They met a sight of moonlit sky and bright stars formation.

Is this a dream? Wait, if this was, then what about the previous one?

But that dream I had, why did I felt that wasn't a dream?

I looked down at my body, which was now strangely covered in black shirt and black pants, and lifted my shirt up. I could faintly see my 5-inch scar on my stomach, but it started to heal, somehow.

So it's not a dream. I really was sliced and shot on my head.

If so, am I dead? And what is this place?

I looked around me and saw a very big building complex, consisting of around four to six humongous buildings. Then I saw a basketball field, a baseball field, a soccer field, and lastly I saw a few people wearing some kind of uniform.

Wait, uniform?

That kind of uniform set...a shirt, trousers or skirt, shoes. Don't tell me, this is a...

"School"

Eh...who said that?

I looked back to see an orange-red haired tall guy holding a pistol behind me. He was aiming the pistol on somewhere else, definitely not on me.

At first I didn't care as such, but if I'm not mistaken, that guy mentioned the word "School" and he's, in fact, holding a gun, a pistol to be exact.

Wait, what school permitted its students to carry out a pistol? That must've been against the rules in every school, or at least, schools I knew.

But nevertheless, this world is new to me, and I really should know more if this place somehow became the place I live, and I felt it will.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, sorry to startle you." The guy replied back, his hand was still holding and aiming his pistol. "Now if you wondered about the word "School" which I somehow say it out loud, well this place was surprisingly a big school complex." He continued

"If this place was a school, then why are you carrying a pistol? Isn't that against the rules?" I asked.

Truth to be said, I said that quite bitterly. Despite being sent to school by my trusted leader of the Ijuin before, I never wanted to experience schools and that overly strict rules, being in school from the morning till the afternoon, listening to teachers who are quite incompetent on their own teachings, and my inability to bring my MK-23 there, my time was wasted on boredom.

When I finally graduate after a few years, schools are becoming my worst memory and I will certainly forget about it.

Yeah, High Schools are the worst.

Okay, enough of my useless thoughts, and back to "reality".

"Uh...well...I somehow...err...joined this kind of organization that...err...legalized usage of weapons for our operation..."

"Organization? Operation? What are you talking about, and what's this pistol for?"

All of a sudden, I heard him shooting the pistol on a direction, of a GIRL!

"What the heck is wrong with this guy?" I thought. "Why are you shooting her, is she your enemy?"

"As crazy as you might think, but yes, she was our enemy, the organization called her "Angel"" the guy replied, still aiming his pistol at the girl.

Now I became confused. What kind of girl named herself "Angel"? And who is crazy enough to call someone "Angel"...oh wait, some did for...er...what did they call it...romantic purposes? But since when romantic purposes included a pistol?"

I looked on the direction of the so-called "Angel". It turned out that it was only a girl with long silver hair and golden eyes, wearing some kind of school uniform. From her appearance, she seems quite harmless.

"Wait a minute, on my eyes, she looked like an ordinary school girl." I said to the guy.

"I agree with you. In fact, the girl introduced herself as the school's Student Council President to me, it doesn't fit any descriptions as an angel, honestly.

"Then, why are you..."

"Otonashi- _ _kun__!" suddenly a magenta-haired girl joined us. "That's Angel, shoot her! And who's that with you?"

"Eh...Ah..."

Without hesitation, the girl shot her own pistol towards the so-called "Angel", piercing her left leg. The silver-haired girl began to crouch down, but her face, as I gazed, didn't show any pain. Instead, I noticed her mouth was mumbling something. Seconds later, she dodged all of the bullets and the bullet piercing her leg slowly omitted itself from her leg.

"What the hell is that?" I thought.

"Dammit, she used her ability again." the magenta-haired girl growled. "At this rate..."

She took something from her pocket, I recognized it instantly as a grenade, an HE one, to be precise. 'Wow, what's with this girl and her equipment?" I thought.

She threw the grenade at the silver-haired girl, and resulting in an explosion, which sadly didn't injure her.

"Dammit!" She cursed as she pulled out a knife, dashing towards the silver-haired girl, which now has...an Arm Blade?

"Does "Angel" even have that kind of weapon?" I thought again as I watched the two girls clashed in a melee combat. Those two looked like an expert with those knives, if I had to admit.

Although they looked like an expert, I saw the magenta-haired girl was on the disadvantage.

Should I help? But then, I don't know which one is on the right side.

Ah...to hell with it, I decided to help the magenta-haired girl instead, and when she was just going to be slashed, I charged on the two and slammed the silver-haired girl, making her sprawl on the ground.

"What the...who are you." The magenta-haired girl asked me.

I really wanted to answer that, but not with the silver-haired girl suddenly charged at me. I leapt on the side, and used the same technique to just dodge all of her slashes.

"How could he..."

Alas, after such dodges, I accidentally positioned myself in front of the magenta-haired girl, and when the silver-haired girl thrusted her blade onto me, not wanting the girl behind me to get hurt, I didn't move and flinched as the blade dug onto my chest.

And everything went black.

-Infirmary-

After some grueling pain, I managed to open my eyes and this time I was met with sights of lightings, white beds and pale green/red curtains. I wonder if I am in a hospital right now.

I tried to get up, and noticed that I was bare without shirt, but what shocked me the most, there is no stab scar on my chest!

So that stab was only a dream?

My eyes darted around and I found my shirt near me, but gasped when I saw blood stains on the chest area of the shirt,

"Oh, you're awake." A man with orange-red short hair, what's his name, Otonashi? if that girl called him right...

"Ah, you're the one I met when I first meet here." I exclaimed.

"Glad you remember. By the way, that's one heck of a sacrifice you had there. I honestly wouldn't expect you to stood in front of Yuri instead of dodging the stab, which ended in you being stabbed in the chest."

Yuri? Oh, so that's the name of the magenta-haired girl I...um...protected.

But wait a minute, so the stab was real? Then how come I didn't see any injuries on my chest right now?

"Er, thanks, I guess? But then, was the stab real? If so, how come I didn't have any scar right here in my chest?"

"It was real, and it seems like it was healing himself."

"Huh, how can we do that?"

"Because, uh..."

"Because we're immortal." A voice suddenly was heard and we saw the previous magenta-haired girl I protect, so this is Yuri, as stated by the guy I thought was called Otonashi. "By the way, thanks for not dodging and taking the stab for me. No one has done that on their free will before."

"Uh, Thanks, I guess?"

"By the way, I'm Yuri Nakamura, the leader of an organization called the SSS, and this is Otonashi, one of the members.

"Er...first name?" I asked.

"He didn't remember his first name. He had got kind of memory loss when he entered here." Yuri replied, "Who are you, by chance?"

I personally haven't trusted these guys yet, but somehow my mind told me to trust them.

"My name is Shugo Nishida. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you two, Nishida- _ _kun__."

I think this is the time I learn about this world, so I asked her.

"Can you explain to me about how we're immortal? What is SSS? And why do you call the silver-haired girl as "Angel"?"

I knew she would get pissed if I asked that much, Surely enough, I heard she growled a little and finally replied

"About that, I would explain to you back in my room, follow me."

 ** **A/N: Oh my gosh! Never thought writing the first chapter could be difficult enough. I watched Angel Beats many times, but still can't get the flow or logic, and this is the result of it. I tried my best to keep everything in character.****

 ** **I repeat, although I took this scene from one of the episodes in Angel Beats! (I forgot which episode), I won't fully take from there. So of course some things wouldn't make sense or didn't happen in the anime.****

 ** **And since I have three other stories to worry about, plus one Final Task (as a university student), I don't know if I can update this story or not, but please Read, Review and leave improvising critics for me so I could continue. No flames please.****

 ** **See you real soon****

 ** **H.S.K-17****


	2. SSS-My Second Family?

****A/N: Thank you author Enilorac Eiram for the review, the follow and the support! I promise I'll do my best.****

 ** **Thanks also for Dalonijack and nirawan500 for favoriting and following my story.****

 ** **Anyway, if you watched again the anime, the part where Nishida met Otonashi was taken from Ep. 1, but the Guard Skill part was taken from Ep. 2 on the Guild, it proves that I will not 100% copy an episode onto this story, although that might make this story a bit confusing, I'm sorry if that happens.****

 ** **Here's Chapter 2!****

Chapter 2- SSS, my Second Family?

* * *

-Shugo's PoV-

If my world of Assassinations was weird enough, then this "Afterlife" or something they said about this place could be weirder

Apparently Yuri and Otonashi asked me to follow them into a room. Something had taken my interest, the room was labeled "Principal Office" and had a password set there. The password, much to my confusion, consists of three phrases, in which allof them begins with NO

"No God, No Buddha, No Angels"

O...kay..., is this a Cult group or something? And why everything was related to the parallel world?

They led me inside and there I saw a bunch of males and one female took a spot inside. All of them wore some kind of uniform, but different from the other students I witnessed before. The female wore the same set of uniform as Yuri, and the males wore the same set of uniform as Otonashi.

Inside, Yuri introduced me to the group, apparently not the complete group. Yuri mentioned about another group called the Diversion Group, but I didn't want to talk about that, at least, not yet. The group's reactions varied. I remember a brown-haired boy hid behind his friend after seeing me. Well that wasn't my expectation, but well, my piercing dark golden gaze sometimes could scare a bit, but I absolutely never found out that reaction, especially when I've been free from scars and I just wore plain clothes. Whilst the others looked quite amazed, or excited, or some even sent me a glare, coming from the man with glasses. I wonder what's wrong.

She then continued by explaining to me about this "Afterlife" or whatever she had said, so she explained to me that I'm technically dead, and that made me unable to die again, and every wound I received will gradually heal.

 _ _Wow, so my task will never be complete here, ah but I'm an assassin no more, ain't I?__

Then she explained to me about SSS. It turned out that SSS just consisted of students of this "Afterlife Academy". The difference is that they rebelled on the faculty and lived like school delinquents. The student council president was their enemy, of course.

But, in Yuri's mind, she thought that if we followed the rules, then we'll just passed on and reincarnate, and since there's no guarantee of being human after reincarnation, so she opposed any means of passing on.

Well, maybe that explains the "No Buddha" part.

At least now I know why they referred the Student Council President as "Angel". The logic is quite..well...deducable. Ensuring everybody's ascension (passing-on) is an angel's work (that's what I believe), and everyone's passing on here by living normal school life under the school rules, and Student Council President's job is to ensure everyone living a normal school life under the school rules. So, well, you can deduce the rest.

I really need to take a breakfrom taking all this load of information, before she asked me a rhetorical question.

"You had one choice, Nishida- _ _kun__ , either you follow the rules of this school and pass on, with the risk of not reincarnating as a human, or you join our faction, rebelling against the rules, against Angel, and against God."

This question of course was easy to answer, if only I knew about how logic works in here, but everything in here was completely illogical to humans' sense,so this question has evolved into a hard one indeed.

Although a bit doubtful and hesitant, I decided to join this whatever-it-could-be organization, well, it does work a little for me since I also hated schools.

"In that case, then..."

Yuri took something from under her desk, revealing it to be the same jacket Otonashi and the males wear.

"Welcome to Shinda-Sekai-Sensen." Yuri said with a leader's aura, in which I just replied with a bow, like one soldier. Sometimes I wonder if I am an assassin but with a soldier's attitude...

Well, I did have a leader back then, even as an assassin, so I'm a bit used to be having a soldier's attitude, ain't I?

The next second, I recognized Yuri also brought me another item in addition to the jacket. I instantly recognized the item as one of my favorite thing in the world: A Pistol.

A 9mm Beretta, to be exact. Well although I'm not used to such weak-powered pistol, but I guess this will do, if and only if...

"Yuri, can I have a silencer, please?"

 _ _Damn, I sounded like I'm ordering food from a cafe now, and that means Yuri acted as the waitress. Stupid Shugo, being impolite on the first day.__

To my surprise, she didn't show any anger towards me despite the fact that I treated her like a waitress before. Instead, she gave me a confused look.

"And for what reason you needed one?"

Wait, I would not say that I'm an assassin in front of everyone, would I? I need to find a reason, quickly.

"Err...I guess having a silenced pistol improves my accuracy on firing one, so it works for my advantage on using it." I made up that reason.

To my surprise, everyone, including Yuri, just bought my lie and she searched her drawer for one. Apparently she finally found one and handed it to me.

"Thank you, Yuri." I bowed slightly, showing some respect for my leader.

"You're welcome. Anyway, for this time, there's no operation going on, so you all can do anything you want."

"Wait a minute!" The group turned to see another purple-haired guy, this time holding a halberd on his hand. "Did you think I can just trust a newcomer like you?"

I didn't answer that. But I could tell that this guy got some seniority problem, I guess.

"Let's see what you got." he said as he swung his halberd at me. __Stupid moron, did he want to destroy this room and hurt the others too?__

Looking that no one is on his range of combat, I made a quick dodge move. Enraged, he swung again, and I dodged again. But now my position is in front of Otonashi, and if I dodged again.

"Heh, so you can only dodge my attacks, that's disappointing."

And he swung again. I can't dodge the halberd outright because Otonashi is on my back. But maybe...

"I'm sorry, but I think I need to use force"

In a mere second, the halberd-wielding guy froze in his tracks, and fell down, a gunshot wound was visible on his left stomach.

"Hey, when did that Nishida guy do that? I didn't hear even one sound of gunshot." A blue-haired guy commented on the commotion.

"I don't know, Hinata." Otonashi replied. "But I think now I know why Nishida wanted a silencer before."

'Still, he could make a good shot even from that pinch, and his dodging ability was exceptional, I wonder what's his past that he could do such things?'

I then carried the somehow-unconscious halberd-wielding guy to the infirmary, along with Otonashi and Hinata. The others were dismissed and went on their own businesses.

"I'm sorry for what I've done to your friend over here. I certainly have no choice." I said.

"It's okay. He's a moron, he deserved that, anyway." Hinata replied. "By the way, I haven't formally introduced myself to you, have I?"

"Er... no?"

"I'm Hideki Hinata, the co-founder of SSS. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nishida- _ _san."__ he said as he offered me a hand.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hinata." I replied.

"Anyway, Yurippe looked a bit different when she recruited you. It seems like she had trusted you from the beginning, Nishida- _ _san__."

"I see..." I replied before noticing a unique word said by the certain blue-haired guy. "Wait, Yurippe, who's that?"

"That's how Hinata calls Yuri." Otonashi replied.

"Oh, a first-name basis with additional suffixes, are you two dating?" I asked, earning a glare and blushing from the "target".

"What? No of course not." Hinata replied. "That's because my mother's name is also Yuri, and so I found it weird to call her with my mother's name."

"Seems legit." I sarcastically replied.

"Oh, shut up." Hinata sighed. "Anyway, I know we all could be good friends. And somehow I think I started to like you guys."

"Are you hitting on me?" Otonashi said, faking a flustered face.

"Don't treat it like that!" Hinata exclaimed.

 _ _Oh great, it's the first day and I felt my friends are gay...Ow that rhymes XD__

About half an hour later, the three of us are still walking around before a kind of signal was heard from Hinata's pocket.

"That's a signal of regroup from Yurippe. We should go back to "The Principal's Office" and see what's going on.

"Wait, didn't she just say that there's no operation going on?" Otonashi asked.

"Probably now she HAS one to go on." Hinata said. "Otonashi- _ _san__ , Nishida- _ _san,__ I hope you all ready for this kind of call. Yuri would call us sometimes randomly and not regularly, just be wary for that."

"Oh, okay, so when I took a dump, should I..."

"You could finish dumping first, of course." Otonashi sweatdropped at my remark, followed by a laugh from all three of us.

And with that, all three of us went to our "base of operations" for what, I do not know.

* * *

 ** **A/N : All right, that concludes the second chapter, which was quite hard for me to write. But hey, it's worth a try!****

 ** **Although I didn't read the manga, I know from wikia that Yuri and Hinata were mistaken as a couple, so well, I decided to slip a little hint of that, although I still shipped HinataXYui.****

 ** **I'm not too familiar with pistols except from the game SpecialForce, CrossFire, Counter-Strike and PointBlank, so my weapon references are from those. And truth to be said, 9mm Beretta had no silencer on these four games, so it was just all made-up by me.****

 ** **A little of a spoiler, Nishida will meet Irie on the next chapter, but what will their reactions be? Just stay tuned!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews are very recommended while flames are prohibited. Thank You****

 ** **See you soon****

 ** **H.S.K-17****


	3. Meeting GirlDeMo

****A/N: Thank You author Scarlet 'n Blossom(-**** ** _ _ **senpai**__** ** **) for following my story!****

 ** **Like I've said before, in this chapter, Nishida will meet Irie and the other members of Girls Dead Monster. What might you expect from the meet?****

 ** **Anyway, here's the 3**** ** **rd**** ** **chapter!****

Chapter 3-First Operation

( _ _Meeting Girls Dead Monster)__

 _ _-Shugo's PoV-__

After that sudden call from Yuri, the three of us quickly made our way towards our main room. Inside, I noticed one person that I haven't met before. She had short reddish-magenta hair, with two bangs longer that reached her shoulder. The girl was wearing the same uniform as Yuri, with the exception of the white beret (or maybe she had but isn't using it now?). One that surprised me is that, instead of a gun, or any other weapons, she was holding a musical instrument on her hands, more specifically, an acoustic guitar.

She was going to play a song when we came in. After we are welcomed, the girl began to play a song.

The song she played rang in my ears, not because I knew the song, but I just like its soothing melody. I must say, this style of music really blended into me.

Yeah, I'm a ballad lover, but that doesn't mean I only enjoyed Ballad. I did hear other style like Jazz, Country, or even Rock, but not something blaring my ears off like Metal or Heavy Metal. But still, ballads are my favorite.

"You listened quite seriously," suddenly Otonashi whispered beside me. "Did you, by chance, know this song?"

"Nah, just enjoying the soothing melody. I like ballads after all," I replied.

"Oh, that's why," Otonashi said.

By the time we finished, the girl had also finished playing the song. As much as I want to give an applause, I held myself back. I expected everyone would give an appreciation here.

But, I was literally shocked, our leader's response was not what I really expected.

"No, a ballad just won't do,"

 _ _Seriously? That music was the best I've heard before. And what's the problem of it being a Ballad?__

"Er, Yuri, but isn't that one heck of a great music? Why won't it do?" I said, earning a sweatdrop from Yuri.

"Nishida- _ _kun__ , the purpose of the music is to create a diversion. It diverts everyone to watching them so we can move and mobilize easily. I might agree with you that it was a great music indeed, but it won't attract too much of the NPC, and that might be a problem since we can't move without getting caught,"

O...kay, now that was confusing.

"Okay, I'll make it clearer." Hinata said, "When one played a ballad song, the audience are usually silent and didn't emit too much sound. This is a problem for us, because then any inconvenient sound we made could alert everyone that something is not right, and we'll eventually get caught."

I tried to digest every information both of them said, and I did reach a conclusion, it was all about sound levels.

"Oh, now I get it. Thank you Yuri, Hinata," I replied.

Meanwhile, the red-haired girl sat on the table on the center of the room, still holding her guitar. "So, it won't do, then."

"I know you could find a way out for this, Iwasawa- _ _san,__ " Yuri said, before turning to our orange/brown-haired friend. "Otonashi- _ _kun__ , please close the curtains."

Otonashi just did as she instructed, and closed the curtains. Soon after that the whole place really turned into an HQ-like design.

 _ _Whew, this reminded me of an assassin group base camp.__

"So, today, we're going to launch "Operation Tornado"," Yuri said to us, earning recognition from almost all members.

Yes, almost all, because this is my first operation as a member of SSS, so I absolutely have no idea on this mission. I looked at Hinata and Otonashi, and it seems Hinata recognized the operation (of course, he's the co-founder!), but I could see that Otonashi's face showed something like a wide mouth, like either he was shocked with the operation.

"However, we're not going there without any reinforcement. Please welcome out newest addition to our team."

Yuri spun her chair, and to our surprise, from the back of the chair, stood one figure, his back facing us. He then turned around, and we could see that his hair was like a bowl being halved on the center, and was wearing glasses. A type of a nerd, if I have to say.

So this is our reinforcement? Well, not I underestimate him, but I figured this guy mustn't be a combat-type with that appearance.

"Heh, so this is our reinforcement? Is this a joke, Yurippe?" a very annoying sound could be heard from the back. Even a new recruit like me knew very well who's the idiot who just underestimated the reinforcement like that.

"Oh, here we go again," I sighed, followed by another sigh by Otonashi.

Without hesitation, Noda jumped into the front and pointed his halberd at the glasses-wearing recruit. "So, let's prove what this guy could do to help us."

I could see that the recruit didn't put any battle stance. Instead, he adjusted his glasses and began to recite something

"3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307..."

While he recited that unbelievable number sequence, Noda just sprawled on the floor, holding his head like it was severely in pain, and the recruit just crouched and continued the reciting.

"H...He's reciting Pi?" the biggest member of the SSS said in a full shock.

"S...Stop it," A brown-haired boy, I assumed had a name of Ooyama, tried to stop it. "Noda's a moron, just spare him alright."

 _ _Okay, next time, I'll give you a reward for saying that, boy!__

"Right, so you see? One of the weakness of us is that we're all stupid," Yuri stated.

"The leader shouldn't say that," Otonashi mumbled.

Well, I was used on being called "stupid". I wouldn't say I'm stupid, but looking at this egghead, I felt I was nothing compared to him.

"On our previous attempt of "Operation Tornado", our intelligence deficiency was pointed out, and we never made it alright. But now, with this new recruit, the one known as a "Hacker Genius", with the Codename: Takeyama- _ _kun__. We could have a chance, and from now on, he'll become a part of the planning team"

'Is that a codename? I felt like that was his real name. Too strange if it really was a codename.'

Anyway, Takeyama's face changed into a serious one, and then he raised his hand and pointed at us.

"And please, call me Christ!"

O...kay, now I could say that this guy was as weird as the others. I mean, who was crazy enough to call himself Christ? First Buddhism, now Christianity? There's something not right about Regiliousity in this place.

His hand was actually pointed to the magenta-red-haired girl, who I guess was named Iwasawa. But then she responded nothing and looked at the other direction with no interest.

Oh well, maybe I was too serious on this matter, I should've ignored just like Iwasawa- _ _san__ did.

"Oh, by the way, what is "Operation Tornado", by chance?" suddenly Otonashi asked, filling the awkward silence after the shootout from Takeyama.

Oh, so Otonashi also didn't know about Operation Tornado, that's...w...What? How come Otonashi didn't know about the operation?

"We're going to infiltrate Tenshi's Area and to find out more about her."

"Tenshi area?" Otonashi asked.

"It was Tenshi's residence," Yuri replied

'Tenshi residence...' I thought.

-Thoughts-

A very massive building, mostly covered in white, filled with a lot of golden statues, golden staff or any Renaissance Age's weapon, having elegant-structured doors and windows, standing on a field of clouds. Rays of light illuminating the whole area...

-End Thoughts-

'Hey! What am I thinking about, that's absolutely a thought about "Heaven", or at least, the ones I usually being taught by my leader.'

"The core of it was controlled by a computer," Hinata said, continuing Yuri's explanation.

"It's mechanized?" Otonashi said, trying to make out what he could tell about "Tenshi's residence"

Okay, I want to think about that, but eventually I can't think about anything at all.

"Hey, Nishida,"

"Huh?" I turned to see Otonashi talking to me.

"Do you know about this "Tenshi's Residence? Because I really have no idea."

"You're asking the wrong person, pal. Because I also didn't know anything about it," I replied.

"This is a huge plan, but it's our second attempt. Tenshi will be more alert this time," Yuri continued to explain. "That's why I already asked our Diversion Group, led by Iwasawa- _ _san__ to perform a diversion performance, and I hope it will be an especially showy one,"

"Roger!" Iwasawa said.

"Get chance and luck," our fellow dancer-maniac (that's how I call TK) chanted.

After that, everyone was dismissed. Iwasawa exited the room. I was going to exit the room too before being stopped by none other than Otonashi

"Nishida, want to join me on a firearms practice?"

Firearms practice? How can I say no? It's just one of my favorite thing to do when I was on the assassin group.

"Sure thing!"

-Under the bridge-

Multiple sounds of pistol shots could be heard under the bridge, a few missed shots and finally one shot managed to hit a can set by us.

"Not bad, Otonashi- _ _san__!" I complimented. I know from his stance, he wasn't attached to pistols before, but one 12-bullet clip hitting one can and only missed a few inches, that was quite a beat!

"Thanks, Nishida, now it's your turn!" Otonashi said, letting me took his place. I instantly drew my M9 Beretta from my pocket, and a silencer from another pocket.

"Mind if I used this?"

"Why not? If that suits you well..."

M9 Beretta has 15 bullets in one clip. It's accuracy was not bad, but it's damage and reaction was one reason why it's hard to use this kind of pistol. But since this is a training session, I guess it doesn't matter.

Carefully sliding the silencer onto the mouth of the pistol, I pulled out the safety pin and began shooting. Slowly but surely, I managed to hit all five cans with six bullets still intact in my clip. Since one bullet was inside the pistol (out of the clip), so by subtracting we could say that I used eight bullets to hit those five cans, on a 30-meter range.

Truth to be said, I'm not a marksman myself. I was more into close combats since I'm not earning "Silent Slicer" for nothing, and shooting was not my priority since it could still alert my targets even though I used silencers. However, a 62.5% accuracy was high enough to make my friend have his mouth agape.

"Nishida, h...how could you do that?" Otonashi asked.

"Well, practice makes perfect, I guess." I blurted, unknown to me that I had accidentally stirred a suspicion on Otonashi.

"But, this should be your first time practicing, right?" Otonashi asked.

I froze.

"What did you do on your past, then? That skill was nothing of a beginner. You must've been familiar with guns, right?"

No...I can't tell you, at least, not now

"Let's...not talk about it right now, okay? You'll find out soon," I replied

"But why?"

"Just forget it, okay?"

"Err..." Otonashi was getting a bit suspicious of me, but eventually he decided to let it all go. "In that case, forget it, then. Want to fetch some drink?"

"Drink?"

"There's a vending machine at the second floor. Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"Well, I did. I just thought we're going to fetch a drink from the cafetaria or something."

"Well, I preferred the vending machine ones," Otonashi said. "The ones in the cafe was far more expensive."

"Alright then, I'll join you," I said.

Both of us then put back our pistols and went for the vending machines. As we arrived there, we bought our respective drinks, Otonashi took a can of coffee, while I take a bottle of sugarless green tea.

"So, tea rather than coffee?" Otonashi asked.

"I liked them both, but I do prefer tea for calming myself down. After all that shenanigans with our group, I think I'll need a break," I answer before my eyes darted on a pink-haired girl which was putting up posters on the announcement board. "Hey, what's that over there?"

We decided to walk towards the announcement board where the girl put up posters. Apparently for advertisement posters, I could say that this was a very non-optimal solution of lowering costs. Usually two posters is enough for one announcement board, but here I could see more than ten advertisement posters put up. Damn how much money did they spend for all of this? And did they have to put up this much?

"Is this a part of a "showy performance"?" Otonashi asked, startling the pink-haired girl. "S...Sorry if I startled you."

"Oh, it was just you both." the pink-haired girl pointed out.

" _ _Ano__...did you know us?"

"Of course, the senpai with the big axe said that both of you are dangerous men and I have to keep out from you."

"Okay, little girl, let me tell you something," I said. "One, both of us are not dangerous, except if you did something bad to us. And two, do not believe that moron."

The girl just nodded. Anyway, I haven't seen her before, is she part of us?

"Um, what's your name?" Otonashi asked. I expected just a name only, but it turns out...

"It's Yui- _ _nyan__! I'm just an underling of the Diversionary Section, but I just like it, I'm helping the great GirlDeMo! Girls Dead Monster, abbreviated to GirlDeMo, and..."

Apparently I didn't hear the rest, because I don't want to hear that much crap, anyway. Otonashi seemed uninterested but still paid a little attention. Good for you, pal.

"Hey, Nishida,"

"Huh?"

"Let's get outta here!" Otonashi said. His face scrunched which mean he was also fed up with the girl's hyperactivity.

"Hey, I'm not finished yet!"

Just a second, I felt my arm being pulled, and I saw it was Yui with an angry expression. Boy this girl had so much energy and power if I should say.

To my surprise, Otonashi grabbed her left face and tried to shove her away from us.

"We don't need to know all of that! Just go back and help your precious GirlDeMo!"

"Oh, right!" Yui realized. "I should continue then, see you again, __Senpai__!"

Yui decided to leave us and continued the "advertisement". For me, I just sighed in relief. I owe you one, Otonashi- _ _san__.

"By the way, I'm running of with the previous can. Let me buy another one."

And with that, Otonashi made his way to the vending machine and bought another can of coffee. I still had my bottle half-full so I'm not buying another tea.

Just as Otonashi took a can from the machine, both of us heard a blaring music sound coming from one of the class. Both of us then followed the sound and found four girls playing their instruments. I easily recognized the lead singer as the same girl from before: Iwasawa, but not with the other three. The one with electric guitar had brown-hair tied to a ponytail, and having brown eyes. The one with bass had long blonde hair and blue eyes, and the one with drums had long lilac hair with purplish blue eyes.

I could see that they played very willingly, and in perfect synergy, much to my amazement. But eventually it stopped with a slang on the electric guitar's notes

"S...Sorry, Iwasawa- _ _san__ , I'll fix it up next time." the brown-haired girl apologized.

"It's okay." Iwasawa replied. "Well, let's take a break, everyone."

All of them began to take off their instruments (well for the lilac-haired girl, she just stood up), but eventually Iwasawa- _ _san__ noticed our presence.

"Oh, it seems like we have some guests." Iwasawa said. "Otonashi- _ _kun__ , Nishida- _ _kun__ , you can come in."

Both of us just went in.

"So, Girls Dead Monster, I presume?" I asked the group.

"Right, we act as Diversionary Squad for the SSS. We're Girls Dead Monster, shortened to GiDeMo, consisted of the four of us. The one with the brown hair is Hisako, she plays the electric..."

Hisako just looked at us and smiled, although I thought it was forced.

"The one with blonde hair is Shiori Sekine, she plays the bass..."

Sekine also looked at us and smiled, but I felt it looked more like a smirk...I might guess she's either a pervert or a prankster...

"The one with lilac hair is Miyuki Irie, she plays the drum set..."

Irie looked at us and also smiled, but different from the other two, her smile seemed genuine and somehow I could see a faint blush on her cheeks. I might guess she's a very shy one, and, well, I had to admit, she's quite cute...

"And I'm Masami Iwasawa, I play the acoustic and also act as the lead singer," Iwasawa introduced herself, also ending the introduction. "We're going to perform a diversion for your operation tonight, I hope you did great on your operation," Iwasawa ended her introduction.

"Well, nice to meet you all. I hope you guys also did your best," Otonashi replied. "By the way, I'm Otonashi..."

"First name?" Hisako asked.

"Uh, I kinda forgot...," Otonashi replied, earning a confusion from all of us. "And the purple-haired guy here is Shugo Nishida. He's our newest Battlefront member besides Takeyama."

I just bowed in front of them. "Nice to meet you all."

"N...Nice to meet you too, Otonashi- _ _san__ , N...Nishida- _ _san,__ " To my surprise, it was the shy girl on the back who greeted back. __But what's with the stuttering?__

"Sorry, Miyukichi is usually this shy when meeting new guys," Sekine interrupted.

"Oh, I see...Wait! You called her by Miyukichi? Why?" I asked.

"That's because both of them are best friends," Iwasawa said. "Sekine usually called Irie by Miyukichi, and Irie called Sekine by Shiorin. That's just their antics."

"Oh, I got it." I replied.

"Anyway, I'm off to get some water and fresh air. Oh, and Otonashi- _ _san__ , can I talk with you outside for a moment?" Iwasawa asked.

"Uh, sure." Otonashi replied, and both of them went outside.

"Er, Iwasawa- _ _san__ is not trying to hit on Otonashi- _ _san__ , is she?" Sekine asked.

"I...don't know..." I replied, because honestly, I also didn't know what's with them, too.

I didn't know, that I was being gawked by none other than the shy drummer. Thoughts began to rise on her head.

'Why does it look like I have seen Nishida- _ _san__ before?'

 ** **A/N: O...kay, never thought that the "rewrite" of half of Episode 3 could reach 3000 words. Anyway, some of these are made up by me, but most are from the first half of the 3**** ** **rd**** ** **episode. So if you watched, you may know what's in the next chapter, right?****

 ** **Anyway, a lot might have known about Irie's connection to Nishida just from the lowest part, and I'm sorry if that makes this story really boring.****

 ** **I hope you liked a little mentions of OtonashiXIwasawa there. OtonashiXIwasawa is not my first favorite, but I also shipped them, although I preferred OtonashiXTachibana.****

 ** **Next Chapter: Operation Tornado started. But what would be different if Nishida joined them? Which part of the operation did he take part? And what would he learn from it?****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews are appreciated and flames are prohibited****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **H.S.K-17****


	4. Consenting

****A/N: Back with another chapter! In the last chapter, the two newbies had just met the diversion group and had a chat. Then as they had a break, the leader wanted to discuss about something with Otonashi, while the other newbie was just taken an interest from another member of the diversion group. This chapter will cover the continuation about the whole Operation ordeal.****

 ** **Anyway, for the reviews:****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom:****

 ** **Well, I know right? Although she's a side character, Irie had taken my interest lately and so I decided to make a story involving her.****

 ** **Anyway, I don't think I'll be inserting OVA here, Ironic considering Sekine and Irie took quite a major part in OVA 2.5: Hell's Kitchen. But, I'll consider it next time or maybe taking my own ideas to replace them.****

 ** **Whoops, I think Noda heard you X_X. Better run for your lives XD.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram:****

 ** **Well, one day. And probably not only with Otonashi, but also with the others too!****

 ** **Yeah, you're absolutely right. Even though Nishida is an assassin, he knew he was nothing in the strange world, so he undoubtedly was still a newbie, just like Otonashi.****

 ** **About Sekine and Irie, just like you, I also read only the wiki since the Anime didn't tell as much. However Irie did show her cute and innocent side on the Angel Beats! 1**** ** **st**** ** **beat Visual Novel (*whoops, a spoiler, but nvm). And from the same VN, I started to like OtonashiXIwasawa too.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Okay, without further ado, here comes the fourth chapter****

Chapter 4- Consenting

Outside the classroom, Otonashi and Iwasawa took one place and sat down. There was one awkward silence, but then Otonashi started to break it up.

"You guys are all fired up. No wonder everyone's going wild about you. Nishida and I had just got a hint so we came to have a visit."

"Thank you," the band leader replied.

"You're welcome," Otonashi said. "By the way, you said that you wanted to talk about something. What is it?"

"Oh, right," Iwasawa realized. "You...don't have memories, do you?"

"Well, more or less," Otonashi replied.

"I must say, you must be happy, then," Iwasawa smiled, earning a confusion in Otonashi's mind. 'If she said I was happy because I don't have my memories, that can only mean one thing.'

"Are your memories...er...like..."

"Well, have you heard about someone's memories before?" Iwasawa asked.

"Actually...yeah...Yuri's memories."

"Yuri's, huh? I must say that her memories are horrible, I just can't help but to feel bad on her," Iwasawa paused for a moment. "My memories were not as bad, at least, not as bad as her."

"Not...as bad?" Otonashi was confused. 'So my thought is true, she did have a bad memory on her life before.'

"It's just, I can't sing the song I wanted. That's how big it is."

Iwasawa's mind began to play back to the times when she was alive.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom. Hisako was fixing one of the broken sounds on the sound systems. Sekine and Irie just watched her outright.

"Need a hand, Hisako- _ _san__?" Nishida asked.

"No, thank you. I could fix this by myself. Just give me some time," Hisako said, still trying to fix the broken sound system.

"I must say, she's a stubborn and to-the-point type of girl, I hope you can endure it well, Nishida- _ _san,__ " Sekine teased.

"I heard that, Sekine!" Hisako said, annoyed.

"Hey, I'm just kidding," Sekine asked.

Nishida just chuckled at the band's antics, before he realized he wanted to ask something. "Uh, anyway, what song will GirlDeMo perform for tonight?"

"Eh, why would you want to know? Will it affect the battlefront squad if you know?" Hisako replied.

"Ah...n...no, I'm just asking," Nishida replied.

"Well, actually we had one secret song that even I won't tell you," Sekine said. "Maybe you could watch us if you want to know."

"Hey, Shiorin! We know that he can't. He was on the infiltration duty," Irie replied.

"Well, actually," Nishida said. "That was a great idea."

All GirlDeMo members inside were shocked.

"I do take part in this operation. But Yuri haven't chosen the infiltration team yet, so maybe I could negotiate and watch your performance instead of infiltrating, while at the same time, keeping an eye on Tenshi in case she infiltrated your concert."

"I see..." Hisako replied. "Well, I've finished fixing this sound system. I'm going to call Iwasawa back and continue our practice,"

"Y...You could watch if you want, N...Nishida- _ _san__ ," Irie stuttered.

"Ah, thank you for the offer, Irie- _ _san__. But I think I should go back to the HQ to discuss about the idea with Yuri," Nishida replied. "See you next time and I hope the diversion goes well."

" _ _A...Arigatou,__ Nishida- _ _san,__ " Irie replied softly.

Nishida then headed for the door while his head formed a little confusion.

"Why did Irie- _ _san__ stutter all the way? Is she afraid of me?"

-Outside the class-

"Iwasawa!" a familiar sound called from the classroom door. The redhead turned to see her band mate and best friend calling her.

"Oh, just about time, we've been sick of waiting," Iwasawa said as she entered the class. But before that, she turned to Otonashi.

"No memories, here's for you," Iwasawa threw a bottle of cold water. Of course we all know who Iwasawa referred with "No Memories". Apparently as she was speaking that, Nishida just went out of the classroom.

"No Memories? Is that how Iwasawa- _ _san__ called you?" Nishida snickered, earning a glare from the orange-haired boy.

"Shut up, Nishida."

"C'mon, let's head back to the HQ," Nishida offered, and so the two newbies did so.

-Meanwhile in the class-

"Okay then, everyone, to your positions," Iwasawa said as they made their way to their instruments. They had taken their positions and looked like they're ready, but eventually one of them aren't.

'Nishida- _ _san__...have we met before?' the drummer was still lost in her thoughts. 'Something tells me that we did...but...'

"Irie, are you okay?" suddenly the lead singer directed her sight to the shy drummer at the back. "You looked like you're worried about something..."

"E...Eh? N...No, it's okay," Irie replied. "C'mon, let's continue the practice."

"In that case, alright then," Iwasawa said. "Are you girls ready?"

" _ _Hai!__ "

Iwasawa then strummed a series of notes, followed by the other three. But even while playing, another one was also in thought.

"I know Miyuki-chi is hiding something..."

-At the HQ-

"Are you really serious? What are you thinking?" Otonashi asked.

Apparently, after they reached the HQ, Nishida called Yuri and explained his plan on accompanying the Diversion Group. He asked if he could skip the infiltration and taking part in the diversion instead, explaining that infiltration didn't need too much members.

"Calm down, Otonashi," Yuri replied, before redirecting her attention to the silver-haired ex-assassin. "And what are you precisely going to do?"

"Actually, I haven't thought about it. But maybe I could disguise as one of the people watching the show, or maybe supervising it."

"We already have Yusa for the supervision, we might not be needing more." Yuri said. "But, I think I understand your idea. You're right, we won't need many members for the infiltration, because we want to minimize our tracks as well," Yuri stopped for a moment, thinking for her decision.

'This is hard...Nishida was still new to our operation. If suddenly Tenshi and the school staffs suppressed them, then what will happen...'

All of a sudden Yuri's mind formed a decision.

"Okay, I've decided on our operation tonight:"

"I accept Nishida's proposal. But since you're new to this operation, then it would come to this: You're be supervising the concert along with Yusa, and Yusa will supervise both you and the concert."

"W...Wha..." Otonashi was shocked, knowing that the "insane proposal" made by Nishida was accepted.

"As for the others, I'll be assigning only a few of us. The members for the infiltration team will be: Me, Hinata- _ _kun__ , Takeyama- _ _kun__ , Otonashi- _ _kun,__ Matsushita 5- _ _dan,__ and Noda. The rest of you could either blend in with the crowd like an NPC on the Diversion Team, or do as you like but do not ever interfere with the Operation. Everyone understand?"

" _ _Hai!__ "

"We'll be infiltrating tonight at 7.00 PM, everyone should be ready on their teams and move as silently as possible. Now then...

OPERATION, START!"

-Gymnasium-

"For many times I had joined an Operation, and this is the first time I was paired with another supervisor, a new one at that," Yusa murmured, a bit unhappy about the commotion. "Just what is Yuri thinking?"

"Something's wrong, Yusa- _ _san__?" Nishida asked the blonde SSS member.

"Nothing, and just because you had joined me here doesn't mean you can just act freely as you like. I'll be in charge over you and you mustn't do anything rash. Do you understand?" Yusa replied emotionlessly while looking at the stage.

" _ _H...Hai!__ " Nishida replied nervously. 'And I thought Yuri was the most terrifying member in our group, turns out her secretary was even more terrifying.'

Meanwhile, at the stage, whose curtains are still closed, the Girls Dead Monster are preparing themselves for their performance.

"You'll get the front row seat," Iwasawa whispered to her guitar. "Okay, everyone! Hit it!"

The curtains are raised, and the group saw not many people watching them, but their cheers are vastly loud. The group, especially the drummer, noticed Nishida next to Yusa easily. Yusa was emotionless, as usual, but Nishida was different. Albeit from his piercing golden gaze, his lips formed a supporting smile, which blushed the shyest member of the band.

However, the blush was very temporary since it was changed into a serious look. Irie's two arms and legs quickly moved on the drum set in a very fast pace, followed by the strums of guitars and bass from the other members, resulting in a very synchronizing rock performance.

"I must admit it. These girls are pretty cool," Nishida whspered.

"Of course, they already took hard time for their training, and probably will bring you the same hard time if you mess up with them," Yusa warned.

"Please, can you please crack yourself a bit?"

"In the middle of a mission? That's a big no. Maybe you should be the one to be more serious in a mission..." Yusa replied, again without any emotion.

"Hey, I'm serious, okay?" Nishida replied a bit annoyed. 'This girl is overly serious and looked like she has no emotion at all, I wonder why...'

Just after that silent bickering, the GirlDeMo had just finished their song, and was greeted with a big applause. However, the band leader was far from pleased.

"Why...why are there too few people?"

As the closest friend of Iwasawa, Hisako immediately knew that something is concerning the lead singer. But that concern immediately went to a shock when suddenly Iwasawa closed her eyes and began strumming a very familiar notes.

"A...Alchemy...already?"

The crowd cheered very loudly, as if they've been waiting for this moment. From afar, Nishida was amazed on what he saw and heard. His eyes was darted on the band, but mostly on the usually shy drummer, whose face now showed pure seriousness and whose limbs now moved even faster on playing the drum beats. A fast and synchronized Fill-In ended the intro as the lead singer now began to sing:

 ** _ _ **Mugen ni ikitai,**__**

 ** _ _ **Mugen ni ikiraretara...**__**

 ** _ _ **Subete kanau.**__**

'Now that's one side of Irie- _ _san__ I should've known,' Nishida thought.

"Nishida- _ _san__ , stop trying to hit on the girls and continue supervising!" Yusa reminded.

"Wha...I'm not! Don't make such an assumption!"

 ** _ _ **Demo ironna mono ga**__**

 ** _ _ **Atashi wo oikondeku...**__**

 ** _ _ **Ikiru nokori jikan**__**

 ** _ _ **Yume no zahyou yukue**__**

 ** _ _ **Zenbu daiji na mono na no ni...**__**

 ** _ _ **Ii sa kokora de chotto**__**

 ** _ _ **Amaimono tabete ikou**__**

 ** _ _ **Sou iu shikou teishi bakari tokui ni natta**__**

 ** _ _ **Aruite kita michi furikaeru to...**__**

All of a sudden, the Gymnasium door was opened and school staffs, accompanied by Tenshi entered the gym

"What are you all doing? Go back to your dorms already!"

The audience were not pleased on the intrusion, and shot back to the staffs. "You're the one who should go back."

Nishida, Yusa and the GirlDeMo noticed the intrusion. Nishida quickly took out his silenced 9mm, but was stopped by Yusa.

"What the hell, Yusa?"

"I already said do not act rash. And that includes do not harm any of the normal NPC's here."

"But, Tenshi is there!" Nishida whispered back.

"Still, we can't make a commotion there. I'll report to Yuri and as for you, maintain to restrain yourself from acting stupid, okay?"

Yusa then put on her earpiece to call mode and told Yuri about the condition.

" _ _Tenshi has appeared."__

 _ _-__ Tenshi's Room-

"Tenshi has appeared."

'Darn it.' Yuri groaned. "Takeyama- _ _kun?__ "

"I'm running a high-speed password cracker. Give me a little time."

Seconds later, Takeyama successfully logged into Tenshi's PC.

"We're in, now call me Chri..."

"Well done Takeyama- _ _kun__ ," Yuri happily exclaimed that she didn't realize she pushed Takeyama's face away. "Now let's copy all the data."

"That will take at least an hour," Takeyama complained. "And please call me Chri..."

"Come on, just take the Hardware already," Hinata soon joined in, sandwiching Takeyama between him and Yuri.

"No, we will be spotted, we've been careful till now," Yuri objected. "At least, show us something useful."

Takeyama then pressed one button, and from there appeared a kind of registry with the names of the students and NPC, along with their grades and classes.

Otonashi, being annoyed most of the time, was even more annoyed.

"Come on, that's only a Student Registry! Nothing suspicious about that! And also this was a..."

"Shut up you idiot!" Noda immediately stabbed Otonashi through the mouth, silencing him.

To make matters worse, Yuri heard another call from Yusa.

"The diversion team has been suppressed, Tenshi is returning."

'Dammit, is this where it ends?' Yuri mumbled. "Tenshi is returning."

"Argh...and now we still didn't get anything," Hinata grumbled. "So, what now, Yuri?"

"We're dispersing!"

-At the Gym-

The students were in chaos. Iwasawa, Hisako, Sekine and Irie had been captured, the same goes to Yusa and Nishida. Nishida attempted to fight back, but was stopped by Yusa.

"Remember, no harming normal people allowed, Nishida- _ _san."__

'Darn it, isn't there anything I could do?' Nishida thought as he was still suppressed by one of the staffs.

One of the staffs reached Iwasawa's old guitar. "I think it would be better if we toss this out?"

Looking at the staff's reaction, Iwasawa was enraged, and freed herself from the school staff's grip. She began to charge towards the staff, beating him down and taking the precious guitar she had, and made a stand on the middle of the stage.

Hisako, noticing this then also broke free and ran towards the sound control room. Nishida saw her and was left confused.

"What is Hisako doing? Is she gonna run away?"

But after seeing Iwasawa's position and the staffs, also where the direction Hisako ran, he knew their intention and also tried to break free.

"Assassin Technique! Reverse Trap!" Nishida enchanted silently and moved himself so now he's pinning the staff down.

"Hisako, go for it."

"What are you doing, worthless student?" The staff pinning Hisako began pursuit and the staff pinned down by Nishida tried to break free.

"You must know how your "restrictions" will never ever control our free will," Nishida said. "We are not an army, and we have our own will, not like you who abused your authority on ourselves," he continued as he closed his eyes.

"Assassin Technique! Golden Gaze!" Nishida enchanted again, now opening his eyes very suddenly and forcefully, and it's now showing a pure dark gold with a very piercing gaze.

The staff was not ready on the onslaught, and passed out on shock.

Meanwhile, the other staff was still pursuing Hisako, but eventually Yusa grabbed his right leg, making the staff fall.

As the other staffs are closing on Iwasawa, Hisako managed to enter the sound control room, and finally setting it up.

As soon as she did that, spotlights began to shine at Iwasawa's direction, and Iwasawa knew, this is her only chance.

She strummed a streak of chords, but now it was slow and gentle, silencing the students in an instant. Nishida, having heard of the tunes, was shocked and confused.

"Didn't Yuri mention that this song just won't do?"

But his doubts faded when Iwasawa began to sing:

 ** _ _ **Iradachi o doko i butsukeru ka sagashiteru aida ni owaru hi**__**

 ** _ _ **Sora wa haiiro o shite sono saki wa nani mo mienai**__**

 **"** This song..." Nishida thought. "Iwasawa- _ _san__..."

 ** _ _ **Joushiki butteru yatsu ga warrateru tsugi wa donna uso o iu**__**

 ** _ _ **Sore de erareta mono daiji ni kazatte okeru no**__**

Hisako's control on the sound room now made the song Iwasawa sang could be heard from every corner of the Afterlife

 ** _ _ **Demo asu e to susumanakya naranai**__**

 ** _ _ **Dakara kou utau yo**__**

-Tenshi's Room-

"This song...this song could be a chance! Takeyama- _ _kun__ , find some more suspicious data. We can't let Iwasawa- _ _san__ 's effort to go to waste!"

"On it!" Takeyama said.

Just then, Takeyama's search led the group onto Angel Player, and from there Takeyama knew, they had gained a key information on Tenshi.

But one figure didn't look pleased.

"How come?"

 ** _ _ **Naiteru kimi koso...**__**

 ** _ _ **Kodoku na kimi koso...**__**

 ** _ _ **Tadashii yo...Ningenrashii yo...**__**

 ** _ _ **Otoshita namida ga...**__**

 ** _ _ **Kou iu yo...Konna ni mo utsukushii**__**

 ** _ _ **Uso ja nai**__**

 ** _ _ **Hontou no...Bokura wo...Arigatou...**__**

'This is my life. Continuing to sing like this, this is why I was born. Just like I'm saved like this, I'll be able to save someone else.' Iwasawa was brought to tears, although she already was from the beginning of the song.

She had fulfilled her dream.

Slowly she strummed the last of the song, and closed her eyes.

'I finally...finally...found it.'

 _ _She disappeared...__

Nishida went dumbfounded on all the commotion. He only knew that Iwasawa just disappeared, but one thing he could be so sure is that __she left with a smile, as in satisfied__.

"Maybe I should discuss this with Otonashi next time."

-The Next Day-

-SSS HQ-

"So, Yuri, what did we got."

"Tenshi developed her powers on her own, like us with the Guild." Yuri explained.

"So, what does that even mean?" Ooyama asked.

"I'm not sure. I have no idea." Yuri said as she headed back to her seat.

"Don't hold any secrets, Yurippe. I knew you had something in mind." Fujimaki said.

'If she developed her skills on her own, that only mean the worst: God doesn't exist anywhere. If Tenshi's an Angel sent from God, then why must she develop her powers herself?'

"There's another matter of concern." The glasses-wearing buff student known as Takamatsu said. "Where did Iwasawa- _ _san__ disappear to?"

-Outside, The Vending Machines-

"How was the operation going, Otonashi- _ _san__."

"I must say, I was going to lose trust of this group. But then at least we got something about Angel this time. What about yours, Nishida?"

"Well, fascinating, but those suppression and Iwasawa's disappearance really spiced everything up," Nishida said. "Anyway, speaking of which, something is bothering me."

"Hm?"

"When Iwasawa finished the song, before disappearing, I looked at her and saw that she genuinely smiled, like a burden has been lifted from her. She looked happy, and looked like she had finally reached something she wanted. Does this ring a bell to you, Otonashi?"

Otonashi's mind formed a realization. "Wait, before this..."

-Flashback-

 _"_ _ _Mine's not nearly as bad"__

 _"_ _ _Hm?"__

" _ _I can't sing the song I like...it's nothing big."__

 _ _-__ End Flashback-

'And yesterday she managed to sing the song. That only meant...'

"Otonashi- _ _san__?"

"Ah, yes, I think I got it." Otonashi said. "Before, when Iwasawa talked to me, she talked that I was lucky to have no memories."

"How so?"

"I had heard about Yuri's memory, and Iwasawa's yesterday. It turned out that both of them had horrible memories that they rebelled against fate because of their unfair life. The same might happen to us." Otonashi paused for a moment. "Iwasawa's horrible memory is that she couldn't sing the song she liked, and..." Otonashi continued to explain about Iwasawa's memory.

"But then, how could she..." Nishida's memory quickly formed also a realization. "Y...You mean, the song yesterday..."

"It was the song she really wanted to sing when she was alive. And moreover, she gave us the hint on how everything worked here!"

"You mean, she disappeared because of the song?"

"That's more than that." Otonashi replied. "She consented to her regrets, that's the main reason. So, if you found your regret and finally fulfill it, then you would be considered "Consented" and will "pass on" or "reincarnated".

"Ah, now I get it." Nishida said. "Ne...Otonashi- _ _san__ ,"

"Hmm..."

"I think this is the only time possible, since we're still talking about this "memories". So I decided to tell you my past..."

 ** **A/N: Whoo! Stopped here! Seriously, it took quite a very long time and a big load of stamina to write all of these. So yeah, sorry Iwasawa fans, I followed the canon route and so she disappeared.****

 ** **Anyway, Nishida's "Assassin Technique" might seem familiar to others from the other anime. But I assure you it worked differently.****

 ** **For example, the "Golden Gaze". One might think this works like One Piece's "Haoshaku", but it isn't. Haoshaku worked for almost everyone in the gaze area and its area was large. However, "Golden Gaze" worked only for single target, and only relies on the target's mental. If the target's mental was ready, then he/she won't fall victim to the Gaze. Since the staff didn't expect the turning event, then it worked quite effectively.****

 ** **The "My Song" lyrics I put there was like the anime, but added with the really first part (the one before Nishida's realization).****

 ** **Everyone knew about how Nishida was executed, but before that, how was his life? Just check it out by the next chapter!****

 ** **I don't own "My Song" or "Alchemy"!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited.****

 ** **Thanks and see you soon!****

 ** **H.S.K-17****


	5. Dark Hours and Halved Memories

****A/N: Alright, back with another chapter. At the last chapter, we have the continuation of Episode 3 like in the anime, but with some little twists, of course!****

 ** **Continuing my stories for me is quite a challenge at these times. I'm still working on my Thesis as well as three other stories aside this one, so, well, sorry if that makes the story's plot become bland or something like that.****

 ** **Any, as for the review:****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram****

 ** **Actually, I, too, didn't speak Japanese, so I could hardly understand about the visual novel. But at least we got to see the face expressions and sounds to attempt a guess on what is going on.****

 ** **Yeah, this is how I pictured Yusa. At first she might look somehow shy and cute, but when I made contact with the anime, I immediately shivered, "Wow, this girl is so terrifying."****

 ** **Glad to know that Nishida blended quite well with GirlDeMo and Yusa. Despite that, he would still join the Battlefront Missions, but his role might be quite different if it includes GirlDeMo or not.****

 ** **Yes, and would you mind a guess on what's Nishida's connection to Irie in the past? It was easy yet hard to understand, actually. But I left that for the future chapters.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Anyway, here's Chapter 5****

Chapter 5: Dark Hours and Halved Memories.

-Nishida's PoV-

Meguro, Tōkyō Prefecture, 20XX

 _'_ _ _W...Where am I...'__

 _ _I woke up from a kind of sleeping, and noticed myself being tied up on my arms or legs. I also noticed that I was in a kind of a room with very low amount of light shimmering inside it. I could barely see anything.__

 _ _I tried to digest on what's going on. I was trying to remember what happened before I was put here. I was barely able to find a chunk of memory before I was put here, I knew I was holding a kind of box, neatly strapped and embellished, like something very precious was inside it. And I remember I was going to see someone.__

 _ _But strangely strange, I couldn't make out what inside the box was, why I carried the box, and who's the person I was going to see. It's like that memory just faded away.__

 _ _Then I remembered that I was almost hit by a car, and I dodged it in time, but I felt the car slowed down, and I felt myself being dragged away with the car as a hand suddenly grabbed my collar. I don't know what happened and I only remembered that: The box disappeared from me and I had my mouth swallow some kind of pills, and I felt everything went gray, and slowly becoming black.__

 _ _Oh, so was I kidnapped...wait...I WAS KIDNAPPED?__

 _ _Okay...save the sweatdrops for later. For now, I need to find my way out from here. If I have to do that, then the first time I must do will be finding any sharp object to cut this damn ropes.__

 _ _Well, too bad both of my arms and legs were trapped.__

 _ _I tried to pull off both ropes, but it seemed like the ropes aren't that easy to break. This could have been a high-class strong rope.__

 _"_ _ _It's futile to escape those ropes, little boy."__

 _ _I heard footsteps and speech sound coming towards me. Surely that sentence was meant for me even though I can't see who's talking. All of a second I found out that a door has been opened, and...__

 _'_ _ _The heck, is this creature a man or a woman? What's with that obviously improper make up...' I thought as I looked at the person approaching me from the door. 'Did somebody had a bucket? Because I think I want to puke out my insides...'__

 _"_ _ _Who are you? What do you want from me?" I asked the 'transvetite' in front of me.__

 _"_ _ _Relax. You don't have to know me. You can just call me "Boss" cause I'm going to be your boss for the rest of your life." the transvetite replied.__

 _"_ _ _Boss? Why the hell should I call you boss? And where is this place?"__

 _"_ _ _You have to, kid. An this place is a trade secret. You will know by the time you spend your life here."__

 _"_ _ _If you are my boss, then should I wear that damned make-up like yours and became a transvetite too?" I mocked.__

 _"_ _ _Quiet, you!" He said as he slapped me hard.__

 _ _For the next few days, I was sent into training on his place. Turned out that the place is an HQ of a underground Mafia who also trained everyone so they can be well-versed in assassination and crimes. But this group, I assume, was the worst group that I had encountered. I bet this group had no sense of humanity at all, even towards their own. I could see my colleagues are all beaten up, they almost lost their life only on very small mistake, or even no mistakes at all but the leader just misunderstood.__

 _ _Mine's not an exception. I was hit with many sharp objects, beaten up with a whiskey bottle, all because of a misunderstanding. Literally this group is a living hell.__

 _ _I was so sure that I would meet my demise there. I preferred that to living the hell serving that excuse of a male there.__

 _ _But fate has a different plan. A year later, I was sleeping before I realized somebody took me away. I wanted to struggle but I heard a soft voice, saying that he's rescuing me from that infernal HQ. I thought it was the police or something like that, but turns out fate decided to play with me once more.__

 _ _The next day, I opened my eyes to see myself lying on an infirmary bed, which was neatly decorated although not glamorous. I got up to see a middle-aged man with a very-toned body, pistol visible on his belt pocket, and a jacket on his body. I might want to say that this guy was from the police, but the fact said that this guy is Kakudo Ijuin, the leader of Ijuin Assassins.__

 _ _Another Assassination group? God must've made my life a joke...__

 _"_ _ _Assassination group again? Man, don't tell me I have to...Urgh..." I flinched on the pain on my stomach and waist.__

 _"_ _ _You need to take a rest. You have to be in full-shape before we start recruiting you, we don't want to harm you. And you don't need to worry. Albeit the fact that we're an assassination group like Gyūki Kinoshita's group where you worked before, we're nothing like him.__

 _ _Gyūki Kinoshita, so that's the name of that transvetite bastard?__

 _"_ _ _Now, you should continue to rest. When you're fit enough, go see me downstairs." Kakudo said as he left the infirmary.__

 _ _That commotion proved that there's something different in this group. I really have no idea that this kind of assassin group still exists.__

 _ _Sometimes, I wonder if this group is really an assassination group.__

 _ _...__

 _ _The next day, I was fully recovered and undoubtedly joined the group, not wanting to take any life risks. And so I managed to meet Ijuin boss, and joined the Ijuin Assassins. From that time I learned that Ijuin Assassins is an assassination group, but had an alliance, or we should say worked on the government's side, and had ties with the Military and Police Groups.__

 _ _Sixteen years of my life, and this is the first time I heard about an assassination group which worked for the government. Not bad, but weird at the same time.__

 _ _...__

 _ _For the next few years, I was trained into being an assassin on their standards. Different from the Kinoshita Group, the training there was harsh but humane. Of course we all knew that the harshness of training was very important so we can withstand even the hardest of occasions.__

 _ _However, even Homer sometimes nods, and this group did also have a slight weakness, but that affects me greatly. The group had its own high school, and I was enrolled there.__

 _ _I made some friends there, they kind of liked me. We did almost everything together, while at the high school or in the assassin group. But truth to be said, like in most dramas, they're just using me as their tool. As much as their kindness, I was always put in a pinch in the school due to their traps.__

 _ _If not for the interference of Kakudo Ijuin, my boss and my father figure, I would have been causing much more trouble there.__

 _ _I managed to survive High School, but with a very big amount of price to pay, for a single term: Trusi.__

 _ _As I finished High School, I was recommended to attend the university, but I chose to enter an Engineering Polytechnic instead, while keeping on becoming an assassin myself.__

 _ _I changed, I'm becoming more antisocial and unfriendly, I'm becoming very quiet and distrusting. All because of the tragedies involving me at the High School.__

 _ _I never trusted my friends anymore.__

 _ _...__

 _ _Ultimately, my trust issue led me to my early demise. At my seventh year as an assassin, we were tasked to stop a mafia's heavy drug-dealing. This is a large-scale operation so a big amount of Ijuin Assassins are recruited for this task.__

 _ _But I didn't care, no matter how many assassins are recruited, I know they're just going to use me for their own benefit.__

 _ _It was then when we managed to enter the area, I knew for sure this was Gyuki's territory because I had been here before. Knowing that we have our own previous issue to deal, I decided to enter by myself. My colleagues are trying to offer some help, but my past-trauma diminished my trust for them.__

 _ _That's my biggest mistake in life.__

 _ _I was fallen into a trap, no one rescued me, no wonder because I never trusted them. And I ended up executed...__

 _ _-__ End Flashback-

-3rd person's PoV-

"I see..." Otonashi replied as Nishida finished telling his story. 'So, his regret is something related to Trust...according to his past. And he was an assassin outright, no wonder his accuracy using his pistol is quite astonishing. But something is quite off track...If his regret is "Trust", and he hadn't disappeared yet, then it could mean that he hadn't trusted us yet, or maybe...'

"Ne...Nishida,"

"Um?" The purple-haired young man turned at the sudden call.

"Did you recall your times before you're kidnapped?" Otonashi asked. "Like, how was your childhood, your parents, your school life, like that? You can't possibly just appeared on the earth in teenagers state, don't you?"

Nishida was taken aback on his words, and decided to recollect information about his childhood. Strangely, he could only know that his father figure is Kakudo Ijuin, and nothing else.

"Strange, but I can't...I only remembered Kakudo Ijuin as my father figure, although we all know he's the leader of Ijuin Assassins instead of my birth father."

'That goes for my second theory, his memory is halved,' Otonashi thought. 'There might be a case where his other regret is also lost along with his childhood memories...'

"Really? You can't remember?" Otonashi asked.

"Sorry, but no. I don't know why though," Nishida replied. "Anyway, should we go back to the HQ? I bet our friends are looking for us."

"Uh...sure." Otonashi replied. 'You had lost half of your memories, Nishida. In order to help you, I must make sure you recover it as soon as possible.'

They didn't know, that there was another figure listening through their conversation.

-A few yards away, behind a wall-

A lilac-haired girl was listening carefully when Nishida told Otonashi his past. It might be unusual for her to stalk someone like this, but regarding her suspicion that she had seen Nishida before, she had no choice but to collect information about him.

"Miyuki-chi, what are you doing here?"

"Ah!" Irie was startled, she turned around to see her best friend on her back. "Shiorin! You could give me a heart attack, you know."

"Yeah, and I know you would still survive a heart attack. We're dead, you know?" Sekine replied. "Anyway, what are you doing? Don't tell me you're stalking Nishida- _ _san__?"

Irie's cheeks flushed for a moment. "N...No, of course not, I was just going to buy a drink."

Sekine then encircled her arms onto Irie, hugging her from behind. Her face formed a smirk. "Look, just tell me your intentions, and I promise I will not cause your family trouble."

"My family's not here, so it's not a possibility," Irie smiled.

"Just admit it, you're stalking Nishida- _ _san__! Oh man, little Miyuki-chi is growing up!"

"S...Shut up, Shiorin!"

"O...kay, I won't pester you about that...Anyway, Hisako wanted to meet us immediately, probably regarding Iwasawa's disappearance."

Irie frowned. She already missed her used-to-be leader after the disappearance. But soon enough, she followed her best friend back to their rehearsal room.

"Hisako- _ _san__ , I've brought Miyuki-chi here!"

"Ah, thank you, Sekine," Hisako said. "Okay, since you all here. I wanted to say that I'm offering my deep condolences for Iwasawa's disappearance."

All three of us frowned.

"Anyway, our fellow Battlefront members are thinking of helping us finding a substitute. In the mean time, you could also help finding one. Is it clear?"

The two other girls nodded.

 ** **A/N: Okay, I stopped here. This chapter is quite shorter than before, but I hope this chapter clears a bit of Nishida's past and now his halved memories.****

 ** **Next chapter will cover the Episode 4 of the Anime, with slight changes and a surprise plot regarding Irie and our ex-assassin, something involving both individual's past.****

 ** **Please R &R!****

 ** **(The updates might be slower because of my Thesis. I hope the readers could wait)****


	6. The Ball Game

****A/N: Back with another chapter! At the last chapter we could find out about Nishida's past and the fact that he lost half of his memories.****

 ** **This chapter takes place on Episode 4 of Angel Beats, but with a little addition on some plots. And here also, there will be a part where the connection between Irie and Nishida will gradually show itself, but how? Check at the chapter below!****

 ** **Honestly, I've been so busy lately and my writing skills were gradually decreasing, so I'm sorry if something is not right here.****

 ** **Anyways, here's Chapter 6!****

Chapter 6: The Ball Game.

The three members of GirlDeMo decided to take some rest. Apparently their search for new lead singer to substitute Iwasawa was not as easy as it sounded.

Hisako, Sekine, and Irie made their separate ways to their room, exhausted. They just hoped that they will eventually find a new singer and GirlDeMo could continue to entertain the students here at the Afterlife.

-Irie's PoV-

A new member to replace Iwasawa...Something tells me this won't be an easy task. Iwasawa's a pretty talented lead singer and I haven't found another girl to compare with her. This won't be an easy task.

Ah, thoughts of GirlDeMo aside. Today I did find an interesting fact about Nishida. Turned out that he is an assassin when he's alive, well that explains the creepy side of him.

On second thought, my brain is still aching... I am so sure that Nishida was so familiar to me, as if we had met once before, but where, I don't know.

To be honest, after his arrival here at the Afterlife, my thoughts are suddenly filled with his presence, talk about an ultimate creepiness, like he's silently seeping inside my mind.

What the...of course that wasn't possible.

Ah, whatever it is, maybe the opportunity will show itself.

Not long after that, I noticed that I had arrived at my dorm room. Mine was just beside Shiorin, so I could really hear her voice when she screamed or something like that, and I guess it goes the other way round too.

Wasting no time, since I was already exhausted, I quickly rummaged my clothes' cupboard and found my last set of pajamas. I surely have to quickly deposit my laundry tomorrow. I put the pajamas on and went to sleep.

 _I stood among a hefty amount of people. Judging from the sounds and what I could see, I was in a kind of shopping alley._

 _A lot of people passed by, some entered certain shops in the alley, while some others just stood on one place, standing like me._

 _Something tells me that this place is familiar, somehow._

 _The crimson sky covered this mid-Autumn afternoon, an interesting view to watch, indeed._

 _I looked around, now trying to walk back and forth along the alley, trying to satisfy my need of information. The shops didn't show anything other than their products, the shop name, and a shop number._

 _A thousand feet had passed, that might mean forty shops from two sides had been passed too. That much, yet no information._

 _Maybe I should try to enter one shop, but I felt bad if I just enter without buying anything. After all, I didn't feel like buying anything._

 _One bakery, however, taunted my interest, and so I decided to enter._

 _The shop wasn't big, yet it attracts quite few customers this time. I could faintly see customers inside, aside from me and a couple at the corner._

 _"_ _Irasshaimase!"_ _The staff greeted me as I entered the shop. "Please look around and buy any loaves you want."_

 _"_ _T...Thank you." I replied as I walked around the bakery, looking at the fresh-baked loaves of bread, stuffed bread, cakes, and many others. The smells attracted me, and so after I entered this bakery, it attracted me even more._

 _But my real intention wasn't buying this food, right? I need to ask where I am..._

 _So I just took two or three fresh stuffed bread and went to the cashier to pay, along with asking for the needed information._

 _"_ _That'll be four-hundred and forty Yen."_

 _"_ _Oh, thank you, sir. Anyway, sorry for bothering you, but c...could you tell me where we are right now?" I asked, confusing the cashier while giving him five-hundred._

 _"_ _Ano, are you lost in this place?"_

 _"_ _U...Um..." I began to think of a reason._

 _"_ _Nah, it's okay, little lady, here's your change, and as for your question, you're now in the city skirts of Meguro, in Tōkyō Prefecture. Is that an enough answer for you?"_

 _"_ _I...I guess so. Arigatou gozaimasu." I said as I exited the shop._

 _"_ _Arigatou gozaimasu! Come back soon!" the cashier and the staff replied._

 _As I exited the bakery, I was greeted with a very surprising yet terrifying sight. As I looked on my right, I saw a girl with a wave of lilac hair, a long one, identical to mine. She was a bit shorter than mine, and wore a kind of casual clothes._

 _I slowly approach the girl and found out a very shocking fact._

 _The girl has the exactly same face as mine, from eyes, nose, mouth, ears. I could tell that I'm standing in front of a mirror, because the girl was exactly having the same characteristic as mine, only she was slightly shorter than me._

 _"_ _Um...hello?" I greeted the "doppelganger" in front of me, but she didn't respond anything. Her eyes were fixed onto the front, like she was looking at something._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, but..."_

 _Before I continued, a screech of a car slowing down suddenly gained my attention. As I looked at the source, it was a kind of black car braking and stopping near the center of the crossroad before us._

 _I could only imagine, but I heard a kind of muffled scream from the car, and after that, it drove off, just like that._

 _I saw my doppelganger's face become one of the worried and shocked type, and immediately walked forward quickly towards the crossroad._

 _"_ _Hey, w...wait...Aaahh!" Suddenly I felt my head hurting like it's going to explode. And everything went onto a blur..._

 _I passed out._

-Afterlife, 05.30 AM-

"Gaah...!" I screamed as I finally woke up from the bed. The headache was going lesser, but that scream apparently had attracted a kind of prankster to barge onto my room, well she's having my room duplicate key so it's possible for her to enter.

"Miyuki-chi, __daijobu__?" Suddenly a blonde-haired girl take a hold on my shoulders. Her face showed sleepiness, but it was covered in a hint of worry.

"Ah, S...Shiorin... _ _daijobu-desu__." I replied. "It's just a little headache and a nightmare. Nothing too serious."

"Are you sure? If you felt something wrong, don't hesitate to talk with us." Sekine replied.

"I..."

"Look, just nod and accept, everything will be okay. We're friends so we'll always help you." Sekine ensured me.

I have no choice but to nod.

All of a sudden I heard a knock on my door. I opened it up to see our electric guitarist standing outside.

"Oh, you're awake already?" Hisako asked. "Why are you sweating? And why's Sekine inside with you? Don't tell me..."

"What? No of course not!" Sekine suddenly screamed while I didn't know what to say, because I really didn't know what is going on.

"Yeah, just kidding. Anyway, I've got a message from Yuri...

-SSS HQ-

-3rd Person's PoV-

"Uh, why are we summoned here this early, anyway?" Fujimaki grumbled. The others, except Nishida and a certain figure also looked rather sleepy.

"Don't ask me. Blame the one who isn't patient enough to show us something." Yuri replied in a similar grumpy voice. It seems she also didn't get enough sleep.

She pointed at the other figure except Nishida who looked energetic enough. The figure had pink long hair with short pink twintails, pinkish red eyes and a devil's tail visible on her lower back. She's wearing the SSS female uniform.

"This girl wanted to replace Iwasawa as the lead singer of GirlDeMo. I already said to hold it until our usual meeting at nine, but she's impatient so I had to summon you all here."

"The name's Yui! Let's get along!" The pink-haired girl replied with her usual cheer and peace sign, like the ones in an idol group.

"Who's this?" Hinata asked.

"Didn't you hear what Yuri said earlier? She was supposed to be a candidate as Iwasawa's replacement as the lead singer of GirlDeMo." Nishida replied. "Anyway, what's with the sleepy face, Hinata- _ _san__?"

"Maybe I should be the one asking how come you didn't look sleepy at all! This is still quite early in the morning, you know?" Hinata fired back.

"Well, I'm used to wake up even earlier at this time. So waking up at this time was a piece of cake, really."

"Duly noted." Hinata replied.

"Something's not right. GirlDeMo is a rock band, for all everyone knows. Are you going to turn GirlDeMo into an idol group instead?" The voice of Takamatsu could be heard in the room, it was probably directed to the pink-haired girl.

"No, I really can sing!" Yui replied, before holding a microphone and its stand, looking ready like a rock lead singer.

"Well, at least she looked the part." the halberd-wielder said, uninterested.

Without hesitation, Yui used the lower part of the mic stand and played the music player.

 ** **(Insert song here. For an instance like in the anime, I'll use My Soul, Your Beats!)****

 ** _ _ **Mezamete wa kurikaesu nemui asa wa**__**

 ** _ _ **Eri o TAI wo kitsukushime**__**

 ** _ _ **Kyoushitsu no DOA kuguru to**__**

 ** _ _ **Honno sukoshi mune no hatte arukidaseru**__**

 ** _ _ **Sonna nichijou ni fukinukeru kaze**__**

 ** _ _ **Kikoeta ki ga shita**__**

 ** _ _ **Kanjita ki ga shitanda**__**

 ** _ _ **Furuedasu ima kono mune de**__**

 ** _ _ **Mou kuru ki ga shita**__**

 ** _ _ **Ikuoku no hoshi ga kiesatteku no wo**__**

 ** _ _ **Miokutta**__**

 ** _ _ **Te wo futta**__**

 ** _ _ **Yokatta ne, to**__**

"Yeah! Thank you all for coming today! Thank youuu!" Yui exclaimed happily like an idol now, but accidentally she kicked her own microphone, resulting in it flinging at breaking through the ceiling and the pink-haired girl choked herself.

The SSS members looked in amazement on the now hanging girl in front of them.

"Is this a part of the performance?" Takamatsu asked.

"Death Metal, probably?" Fujimaki guessed.

"Such a crazy baby..." T.K. chanted.

Meanwhile, the said girl was still dangling on the ceiling, finding herself hard to breathe due to the cables still choking.

"I...I'm dying..."

Otonashi heard this and immediately came to a conclusion.

"I think it was an accident...Help me get her off those cables."

Later on, Yui collapsed onto the floor after everyone freed her from the choking cables. Nishida, looking at the girl, just sighed.

"This girl is very loud and lively, don't you think?"

"I agree with Nishida- _ _kun.__ Her personality is a complete contrast to Iwasawa's cool beauty." Yuri replied.

"So, what do you think? I think this girl just couldn't compare to Iwasawa- _ _san__ at all." Takamatsu stated.

"Should we look for someone better?" Matsushita asked

"Of course, let's..." Hinata was going to continue before the certain girl cut him off.

"Hey! My singing was fine, isn't it? As Iwasawa's huge fan, I can sing all of her songs!"

"Well, kid, I'm not a music addict myself, but I'm not dumb enough to know that you can't measure yourself just from singing Iwasawa's song like that, let alone the fact that you sang like an idol instead of a rock star." Nishida added.

"Yeah, there's nothing appealed to the heart from her singing, am I right?" Hinata continued.

"Yea...Ehm...Right..." was the multiple responses given by the rest of the SSS.

"Don't use vague reasons to prune a budding flower like me!" Yui said, angered by the rejection from the fellow members.

"Her motive is really self-centered." Takamatsu said. "What do you think we should do?"

"I'm not sure, just let the rest of the GirlDeMo to make a decision." Yuri replied, earning a very gleeful smile from the pink-haired girl.

"Really! Oh my God!..." Yui's getting overly excited that Nishida knew what's going to come.

"Good Lord, why did I feel that something familiar will appear." Nishida thought before closing his ears.

"I could be with Hisako- _ _senpai!...__ " Yui continued her excited mode, but of course, everyone just ignored her.

"If she became the lead singer for GirlDeMo, we can't start a mission for the upcoming ball game tournament." Yuri sighed.

"Ball game?"

"Yeah, sometimes we have that kind of mission." Hinata explained to the certain reddish brown-haired guy.

"But, won't we disappear if we joined on the school event?" Otonashi asked.

"No, because we're competing illegally, of course. So as you know, you'll need to make teams for the upcoming ball game, and win the tournament. If you performed worse than the normal students, you'll receive a penalty worse than death!" Yuri threatened evilly.

"Gyaaaaa!"

"Heeyyy, don't ignore meeee!" Yui's getting desperate of the ignorance.

"Wait a second, so our mission is to form a team and competing illegally in the ball game? Is she desperate because we can't do anything right now?"

"Nah, this mission's just a regular check-up on ourselves." Hinata said, before patting Otonashi's shoulder. "Otonashi!"

"Hmm?"

"I need you." Hinata said with some charming look.

"Are you seriously hitting on me?" Otonashi whispered.

"No, I mean for my team!" Hinata exclaimed as he was misunderstood again.

'Again, I wonder if Hinata really is a gay...' Nishida thought at the occasion, before somebody tapped on his shoulder.

"How 'bout you, Nishida- _ _san__?" Hinata asked the purple-haired guy.

"Um, since no one has picked me, then okay."

"Great, now let's find another member to join..."

-GirlDeMo Rehearsal Room-

The three existing members of GirlDeMo had just finished their rehearsal of the day. Although they didn't have Iwasawa as their lead singer, Hisako was able to cover the lead singer role, but then without any acoustics, they were absolutely incomplete.

"Sigh, I felt somehow we lost some of our music spirit." Hisako said.

"Right, since Iwasawa- _ _san's__ disappearance, we have lost our only acoustic and lead singer. GirlDeMo's not as enchanting as before, if I should say." Sekine said.

"Anyway, what do you think about the Battlefront's decision? That Yui girl was recommended to be Iwasawa's substitution. But why did I feel somehow she's not capable enough." Hisako stated, clearly a hint of sadness still glimmering on her mind, which was still noticed by the rest of the group.

"I know how you feel, Hisako- _ _san."__ Irie replied very softly. "But, we are still in short of a lead singer and an acoustic. I know you can cover up, but we don't want to see you suffer from those extra work."

"Besides, we can give her a chance." Sekine replied.

"So, your choices?"

The orange blonde and the lilac-haired girls nodded.

"Alright then, I'll discuss it with the Battlefront. In the meantime, you two should go and rest, I had a meeting with Takamatsu." Hisako said.

"Ohh...what's with you and Takamatsu, Hisako- _ _san__." Sekine giggled.

"Nothing at all, just a discussion about tomorrow's ball tournament. I've joined Takamatsu's team."

"Oh, in that case, good luck with the discussion." Irie greeted before Hisako took a leave, leaving Sekine and Irie inside the room.

"Ball game, huh? I guess I'll pass on this one. You should join Nishida's team! Miyuki-chii, he's going to be happy."

Irie's face turned beet red. "What are you talking about?"

"Seriously, just join! This is an opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?"

"For confessing to Nishida! Come on, you had fallen for him, didn't you?"

"I've got nothing on him. I'm just curious that I had seen him somewhere before."

"Then, you won't get to know him if you just keep spying on him without trying to start a talk."

"Out with it, Sekine, you're mean." Irie said as she left the rehearsal room, leaving Sekine standing in it, astounded.

"Did I hit another nerve? Have I gone too far?"

-With Hisako and the three boys-

"What? You've joined Takamatsu's team?"

"Yeah, I made my choice, Takamatsu's team is the real deal, and is much better than yours." Sekine said blatantly, almost without any emotion, and just left them without saying anything else.

"Damn it, we've lost her." Hinata said. "And just an athletic one, too."

"Then, let's search for any other teammate. Maybe I'll try Matsushita __go-dan__." Hinata said.

"You're not checking the other GirlDeMo members?" Nishida asked.

"Nah, I know they'll just decline like Hisako did." Hinata said. "Besides, I know Matsushita will accept our request."

"Why are you so sure?" Otonashi asked.

"Well, what to say, he's a true friend. I'm kinda embarrassed." Hinata replied with a kind of pose.

"Well then, let's..."

Nishida's eyes caught on Irie walking behind him, however not towards him. Nishida saw her teary-eyed, and so an idea formed on his head.

"Maybe to make everything faster and easier, we can split up. I'll be searching some other members and add them to our team, you and Otonashi tried to find some members too. Hope we're lucky enough."

"Well, right, follow me, Otonashi." Hinata said, pulling Otonashi by his arm.

"Hmm, I really doubt Hinata is not a gay, just after looking at that...Never mind, I need to check up on Irie- _ _san__ , seems like she's in trouble." Nishida thought.

 ** **That ends this chapter. Sorry for leaving it like this. Anyway, I've decided to divide the episode into two or three chapters, because I also added much more scenes probably happening on the episode but not shown, or my made-up plots, especially involving our assassin.****

 ** **Please R &R, Constructive Reviews are Appreciated while Flames are Prohibited. Thank you****

 ** **(Starting now, you can call me by Kage instead of H.S.K-17 or Hayashinkage, just to make everything easier.)****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	7. Recruiting More Team Members

****Back with another Chapter!****

 ** **In the previous chapter, we have cleared a little of a faint connection between Irie and Nishida, and the events in Episode 4.****

 ** **This chapter will continue the events in Episode 4. But with more additional events, to make sure I didn't just copy the whole anime outright.****

 ** **Now, to reply the reviews:****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram;****

 ** **Glad to see you be active on FFN again! And I'm glad to see you curious on Irie and Nishida's possible pasts.****

 ** **You're on the right track! I would tell the plot later in the story though, not going to spoil XD.****

 ** **What to say? A band consisting of four females without any males, a very prone target of compromising situations, don't ya think?****

 ** **Yeah, again that's how I pictured Sekine and her pranks XD, so I guess I tried to put a "wingwoman" kind of prank this time, and what do you think will happen if Irie really took the prank seriously and really ended up with Nishida? That might be one possibility, right?****

 ** **Thanks for the reviews!****

 ** **Here's the chapter!****

Chapter 7: Recruiting More Team Members

( _The first glimpse of a memory)_

* * *

-With Hinata and Otonashi-

The two guys (not gays) managed to find Matsushita __go-dan__ just at the forest. The judo expert apparently was training himself on one of the trees. The __go-dan__ noticed the two colleagues approaching. "Oh, Otonashi, Hinata, what is it?"

"Matsushita __go-dan__ , I would like you to join my team for the upcoming ball game. What do you think, buddy?" Hinata asked, very confident that the judo expert will eventually join the team.

"The ball game? Oh, I've joined up with Takeyama." Matsushita said, shocking the blue-haired guy.

"W...WHAT...Why, Matsushita __go-dan__? Aren't we best buddies?"

"Yeah, we are. It's just Takeyama had promised to give me all Meat Udon tickets he get after every mission."

 _ _Silence__ , the certain blue-haired guy coudn't even say a thing. "M...Meat?"

"Just a few minutes ago, this guy's like. " _ _He's a true friend, I'm kinda embarrassed. Haha..__ ", so that's it?" Otonashi said with a little laugh, and with the same pose as Hinata had done.

"Don't laugh at this matter!" Hinata said.

"Okay, okay, let's just continue our search. So who's next in line?"

"We'll ask T.K. next. T.K., I'm counting on you." Hinata mumbled.

"Alright then. Matsushita __go-dan__ , we'll be taking our leave. Good luck with the training." Otonashi greeted before leaving the judo expert.

"Yeah, take care!" Matsushita replied before continuing on his practice.

* * *

-Nishida's side-

"Irie- _ _san__!" Nishida called onto the lilac-haired girl who was walking near him. Apparently Irie heard the call and turned her head on Nishida's direction. Nishida could see very clearly on Irie's red eyes and puffy cheeks, as if she had been suppressing a tears' stream.

"N...Ni...Nishida...- _ _san__?" Irie replied, choking her own tears. "W...Wh...What is...it?'

"Calm down, take a long breath, Irie- _ _san__." Nishida replied softly, patting her shoulder. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"*Sniff*...N...Nothing..." Irie replied.

"I could bet that it's not alright at all." Nishida replied. "I might be able to help, don't hesitate to talk about your problems, Irie- _ _san.__ Tell me what's wrong."

"I..." Irie stuttered, blush remained on her cheeks.

Nishida's gaze was fixed on the lilac-haired beauty in front of him. He's expecting an answer.

"I..."

* * *

-With Hinata and Otonashi-

"Anyway, why does everyone call him T.K.?" Otonashi asked.

"That's what he calls himself, he's a mysterious guy, no one knows his real name." Hinata replied. "But I do believe in him."

Hinata coolly claimed, very sure that T.K. will join him. Only to find out that he was already taken by none other than Takamatsu,

"GOD DAMN!" Hinata exclaimed, now like a possessed man.

"Geez...now you do sound like T.K."

* * *

-With Irie and Nishida-

"So, that's it, Sekine told you to find me and join my team?" Nishida asked the girl in front of him.

"Y...Yes, but I...I can't do it." Irie stuttered.

"W...Why? You didn't want to?"

"No...I mean, I wanted to, but..." Irie stuttered, slowly her soft pale cheeks turned its color to a shade of pale red.

"But...what?"

"I...I was just too embarrassed."

That response was nothing out of ordinary. Nishida might expect this kind of response, but apparently he didn't expect it to be coming from Irie and directing to himself. 'What part of me makes her embarrassed?' he thought.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed for, Irie- _ _san__." Nishida said. "You can just go and ask me outright, nothing to be embarrassed for. We're colleagues, one part of SSS, so nothing's going to be awkward and worthy to be embarrassing."

"B...But..."

"Oh well, okay then, how about I reverse the role instead?" Nishida asked, earning confusion from the lilac-haired drummer.

"W...What do you mean?"

"Irie- _ _san__ , would you mind to join our team for the upcoming ball tournament?"

"E...Eh?" Irie was shocked with the question. Not because she wasn't expecting the question, but suddenly a glimpse of memory hit her.

* * *

-Memory-

-Irie's PoV-

 _ _It was the day of the annual school class sports tournament in Meguro High School. As a member of the school, specifically in Class 2-C, I also had the right to join any of the sports game.__

 _ _At least, I had, if I had the courage and the skill to play too.__

 _ _My friends already knew me too well that I'm well-versed in music, but not in sports. So usually I walked myself off any team recruitments.__

 _ _Not that my friends ever tried to recruit me, anyway.__

 _ _Well, that's what I've been thinking, before...__

 _"_ _ _Irie-__ san _ _," Suddenly I see a classmate walked towards me.__

 _"_ _ _Oh,*****-san, what is it?"__

 _ _Strange, I didn't even remember his name...__

 _"_ _ _Have you joined any team for the sports tournament yet?" the guy asked.__

 _"_ _ _Er...no, and I don't think I will." I replied back shyly. Didn't this guy know that I'm not good at sports...__

 _"_ _ _Why is it?"__

 _"_ _ _Eto...I'm not to keen on sports, I thought I'll be a burden to the team if I ever joined one."__

 _"_ _ _Oh, really?" the guy replied. "You looked athletic enough to me, surely you got quite some skills."__

 _"_ _ _That's because I got the build from playing drums at my band." I replied. "Drummers had to move almost all his/her entire arms and legs in a pace. Sometimes it was so fast that you'll buff up your limbs after the performance."__

 _"_ _ _Oh, what a shame, because I would want you to join my rounders team for the competition. Are you sure you don't want to join?"__

 _"_ _ _Err..."__

 _"_ _ _Sorry, probably I was too bad-mannered, maybe I'll ask you a bit more politely, so, would you mind to join our Rounders team for the upcoming sports tournament?"__

-End Memory-

* * *

Could Nishida be the one asking me to join the rounders team before? But of course that's not possible, I mean, we have never met before, right?

"Irie- _ _san?__ "

"A...Ah... _ _sumimasen__..." I replied, awaken from my blank state.

"You're spacing out. Is something the matter?"

"N...No...nothing, it's only a little somehow __deja vu__ on my part." I replied. It was the truth, anyway, but it has nothing relating to Nishida- _ _san__ , so I won't bother hiding it.

"Oh, that's good to hear. Anyway, about my request, have you got an answer?" Nishida asked again, waiting for my answer.

 _ _Oh right, Nishida had requested something on me. Something like joining his sports team. I knew exactly that he's talking about the upcoming Baseball tournament.__

 _ _Hey, what makes me think? Didn't I wanted to join, but decided to hold only because I'm embarrassed? But now the situation was definitely a half-circle turn, because I don't have to ask for joining, and got requested to join instead.__

 _ _B...But, I'm not good at Baseball...__

"I guess, I...I could join you, Nishida- _ _san__ , but I'm not good at the game. What if I'm a burden to your team?" I asked. I suppose Nishida would re-think on recruiting me.

Not that I expect might happen, anyway.

"In that case, We'll be helping you, Irie- _ _san.__ Don't see yourself as a burden, okay." Nishida replied, much to my shock.

"E...Eh...,"

"Anyway, should we ask Sekine to join us to? Or had she joined any teams yet?"

"Um... I don't think she wanted to. She said that she'll pass on this tournament." I replied.

"Alright then, the others are probably waiting. Come on, follow me." Nishida said as he took Irie's hand and began to walk.

" _ _Ano,__ Nishida- _ _san__ , you don't have to hold my hand like this. It's embarrassing." Irie softly whispered.

"To think about it...you're right." Nishida replied as he released the hand. "Anyway, Irie- _ _san__?"

"Hm?"

"You've joined the SSS longer before me, so do you have any idea what ball game we are playing?"

"Well, it's..."

* * *

-3rd Person's PoV-

-With Hinata and Otonashi-

"Anyway, what kind of ball game are we playing?" Otonashi asked to his blue-haired friend, which was looking distressed at the moment.

"Baseball..." Hinata grumbled.

"So, we need six more members, probably won't be happening..."

"Ah...I see you're in trouble, Heh...Heh...Heh..."

The two boys turned to see the source of the voice, and, much to their annoyance, is the said pink-haired girl which had made their ears burst that morning thanks to her overactive act.

"Well, if it isn't just Miss-Choked-Herself-in-Her-Death-Metal-Performance, I see." Hinata replied with such disgruntled voice, obviously not interested in the girls' appearance...only to fire up the girl's fury as she scurried towards him. "Do I look like the type to put a performance like that?"

Considering what she had done that morning, it's freaking obvious that Hinata's reply was none other than:

"Yeah, you do, totally."

Hinata's disinterested face now turned, glaring at the annoying pink-haired girl. "So, what do you want?"

"You said that you need more members, right?" Yui asked, tugging Hinata with the elbow. "Then I could be an asset for your team."

"A...Asset?" Hinata asked, before his mind formed an idea.

"Wait a minute, if she was hit on a pitcher's wild pitch, then it would take out the enemy's pitcher."

Too bad his thought were easily read...

"If she gets hit! Come on, join then."

Instead, the girl just gave him an awfully piercing glare. "I can read your thoughts, __senpai__ , your brain tissue is leaking and melting from your nose..." and decided to hit him on the back of the head.

"What the...I'm your __senpai,__ you little..."

"My apologies, Honorable __senpai__ , your Honorable brain tissue is leaking and melting from your Honorable nose, is it not?" Yui mocked an apology and patted Hinata's back of the head."

"AS IF!" Hinata said as he kicked the girl on the face.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

"That commotion, what has Hinata got himself into..." Nishida said, hearing the scream from the outside of the school building. "Let's go check it out, Irie- _ _san__."

"Eh, but shouldn't we meet the others...oh, I think I knew..." Irie- _ _san__ was confused, but then her lips formed a kind of smile. A sweet smile, even for Nishida's standards.

"Right on there, Irie. Hinata was my teammate, and so do Otonashi. So that commotion might have told us where they are right now."

The two purple-hairs paced quickly on the direction of the teammate which is somehow in 'trouble'.

-Outside-

" _ _Senpai, Itai-desu!__ " Yui writhed, her body just twitched in pain.

"I'm hurting too, you know." Hinata said.

"Oh, hurting, I see..." The two heard the sound of their teammate approaching towards them. On his back was their colleague from the diversion team, the shiest one, to be specific. "Did you two really hurt physically? Or I did sense that love-related hurt is in the air?"

"Shut up, Nishida! Nothing's going on between me and this idiot girl!"

"Well, at least she looked athletic..."Otonashi remarked, only to be interrupted by the said blue-haired friend of his.

:What are you talking about, Otonashi? I don't want to have a girl as brainless as her in my team!"

" _ _Itai-desu..."__ Yui flinched on her __senpai__ 's remark.

"But even if you said that, our colleagues had been turning us down lately."

"Yeah, I saw it too. That's why Yui- _ _nyan__ decided to join your team."

One word had caught the blue-haired guy's attention. With a deadly glare he turned to the girl.

"Huh, try saying it again?"

"Yui- _ _nyan...__ " Yui replied using her 'cute' pose.

"THAT PISSES ME THE MOST OF ALL!" Hinata said as he locked Yui's body in a hard deadlock.

"Kyaaa... _ _I give up...I give up...__ "

"You two, just stop already!" Nishida and Otonashi shouted respectively, while Irie stayed silent, speechless by the commotion.

* * *

The group of five then made their way to the storage room. Apparently they're going to invite the quietest member of the Battlefront.

"Shiina- _ _cchi__ , where are you, Shiina- _ _cchi__?" Hinata asked. The others also helped him searching. However they just wasted their energy as the said girl showed herself, or at least, all except her right part of her body.

"Oh, there you are. You've got good reflexes, right?" Hinata asked.

"I never measured them." Shiina replied quietly.

"Oh c'mon, you'll do fine. Baseball, let's play Baseball."

"Ever since that day, I've been in here pondering how can I fall behind a newcomer."

"You mean the operation Drop to the Guild?" Hinata asked, remembering the operation where the newest member of the Battlefront at that time was able to survive until the end.

"Eh, what operation is that?" Nishida asked.

"That's the operation where everyone dropped into the guild. Although I didn't participate since I'm in the diversion team, I knew from Yuri that the one surviving until the Guild are only Yuri herself and Otonashi- _ _san."__ Irie explained to him.

"At that time, you're still on your recovering state after being stabbed by __Tenshi__ , so you also didn't join the operation, making Otonashi the newest member of the Battlefront that joined the operation, and it's also a legend that Otonashi was the only one besides Yuri to survive." Hinata continued.

"I was just lucky."

"Oh, that explains why I haven't seen this girl before ever since I joined this Battlefront." Nishida said. "You must be Shiina, correct?"

"Right, and you must be the new member, Shugo Nishida, who managed to defend Yuri from being stabbed by __Tenshi__." Shiina replied. "Continuing from where we left off, Otonashi, in terms of power and skills, I should have surpassed you, except in one thing: Concentration." Shiina said.

"I bet you surpassed me too on that part." Otonashi replied.

"Ever since that day, I've been balancing this broom on my finger." Shiina replied as she showed herself fully, a broom was visible on her right index finger, standing in balance.

The other members just jaw-dropped.

"She's an idiot, isn't she?" Yui whispered to Hinata.

"That idiocy gave her strength."

"Come on then, Otonashi. Let's fight it out." Shiina challenged the newest member beside Nishida and Takeyama.

"Hey...hey, if you want to fight it out, fight it in securing a score on the following baseball tournament!" Hinata said, trying to keep the two from fighting.

"In that case,I accept." Shiina replied with a serious face.

* * *

"That makes six of us." Hinata said. "We have no choice but to take him in."

The group made his way onto the riverside. There, they spotted a familiar Battlefront member training on his halberd-wielding.

"No one's gonna invite him. He didn't listen to anyone but Yurippe." Hinata said.

"In that case, he's an idiot as well." Yui replied.

"However, we can __use__ an idiot, anyway." Hinata said as he approached the halberd-wielder. "Besides, no one could swing a stick as good as him."

* * *

"You finally come, huh, Both of you?" Noda pointed to Otonashi then to Nishida. "Let's settle things outright, Otonashi. After I'm finished with you, I'll be taking you on, Nishida."

"Okay, which part of you do you want me to shoot this time?" Nishida said as he began to unload his 9mm...

"Nishida- _ _san__ , don't..." Irie said, unconsciously holding his right arm, which was on its way to his gun.

"Hey, stop it, stop it. Why don't we battle it out in a baseball game to see who has better reflexes?"

"Why?"

"Strength alone won't impress Yurippe." Hinata said, smirking.

There was an awkward silence, before Noda smirked and gave out his hand. "I accept."

"What a moron, he didn't know he was being used." Yui whispered to Nishida.

"You're not wrong about that." Nishida whispered back, before realizing his hand was still grabbed by Irie while he had released his grip on the gun. "Huh, Irie- _ _san__?"

"Yes?" Irie replied, before looking that Nishida was staring at his right hand, and recognizing that her hand was still holding his, with the purpose already long gone.

"E...Eh... _ _sumimasen...__ " Irie apologized with another blush.

"Okay then, that makes our team seven." Hinata said. "We're going to have a full team!"

* * *

However, most SSS members are already in the other teams by now, and so their search was reaching a dead-end.

"So, what do you think we must do? We're short of two members." Shiina pointed out.

"I'll think a way. In the meantime, could you please drop that broom of yours?" Hinata said.

"I'll drop it when my concentration is interrupted."

"In that case, then..." Yui started to put some roundhouse kick to the certain ninja, only for the ninja to dodge, her finger still balancing the broom."

" _ _N...Nani?"__ Yui screamed in amazement.

"What are you doing, girl?" Shiina asked.

"Have you thought of a way, Hina...?" Otonashi turned into Hinata, only to see the blue-haired guy looking at the sky above, like he was remembering something.

"H...Hinata?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm just spacing out..." Hinata said. "It can't be helped, let's recruit some from the regular students.

"Alright, I'll be recruiting my friends!" Yui offered while being "tamed" by the said ninja.

"F...Friends?"

* * *

After a few minutes, Yuri came back with some of her friends.

"W...We're" Girl 1 said.

"We're fans of Yui." Girl 2 said.

"We're like her groupies." Girl 3 said.

"We're glad to help Yui- _ _nyan.__ " Girl 4 said.

"Yui- _ _nyan__ 's not the type who's stuck up with skills." Yui said with pride. "I've been accumulating experience from street performances."

"Okay, I know you have a lot of friends...but we need only two members, why you bring four, and nothing but trendy girls?" Hinata scolded the pink-haired girl.

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" Yui asked.

"Dammit, we'll be overloaded with members..." Hinata growled. "And only a few of us actually got some skill."

"Calm down, Hinata. We can just recruit all of them and have two acting as substitutions, then." Otonashi said. "That'll make a full team."

"Alright then, all of you are in." Hinata said. "I wonder how will our team progress."

On the other members part, this might be only a routine check-up, but for a certain individual, this will be a key step towards the moment of truth.

* * *

 ** **A/N: Okay, I'll stop until here! I actually wanted to continue, but to balance the number of words per chapter, I decided to stop right here, because the next sessions might take a long time, since I might cover the game in quite more detail, if I could.****

 ** **Maybe for the ones who had watched the anime, everyone knew that Hinata's group only consists of 8 members, with 3 being Yui's groupies. However in this story I changed Yui's groupies into 4, and added by Nishida and Irie, it makes 11. I have a plan for those, so don't worry.****

 ** **Next chapter will be the ball game and also the moment of truth, or at least, the truth for one of "them". And maybe, since this story is more Nishida-centric, some of the episodes will not be included, be replaced or not fully taken.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews are appreciated while flames are prohibited, thank you.****

 ** **See You Soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	8. Two Shades of Purple

****Back with another Chapter!****

 ** **In the last chapter, we got Hinata's team assembled for the Baseball Tournament. So basically, instead of 8 people like in the anime, it will be 11 in this story, all for quite a purpose.****

 ** **This chapter will cover the rest of Episode 4, and to open the truth of the connection between Nishida and Irie, thus ending the first of the three parts of the story. Though, I won't say I'm already halfway through the story, but maybe roughly nearing halfway. And maybe for a little instance, starting from this chapter, I might be putting Irie a little OOC (Well, I have my reasons, and I'm sorry if it disappoints you all)****

 ** **Review Reply:****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram:****

 ** **It is, but Sekine should be more careful. No one knows what will happen if something unexpected turn the events to the wrong way!****

 ** **Yeah, everything was almost the same to the anime, in which I laughed many times because of it being funny. And well, Nishida softened much, right? Probably that's because he had his weights of distrust being lifted as he conveyed it to Otonashi.****

 ** **I never knew about Kill Bill. However I got this idea after watching Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (*spoilers alert*) when the male protagonist remembered a promise with the childhood friend of his.****

 ** **About the team of 11, well, you'll see!****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Okay, here's the Chapter!****

Chapter 8: Two Shades of Purple

* * *

-Baseball Field-

Hinata's team walked towards the baseball field where the ball tournament is taking place. From there, they spectated the first match taking place. It was an NPC team against Takamatsu's team. On the mound was an NPC, while on the batter zone was T.K.

The pitcher threw him a 83 mph curveball.

"Strike one!"

T.K. looked unfazed and continued to dance rhythmically, which confused the catcher.

The second pitch was a 4-seam, 98 mph straight ball. However, this time T.K. had already prepared a kind of rhythm.

"Yahoo!"

"Clang!" A sound of steel hitting a kind of thing could be heard. Judging from the cleanness and the volume of the sound, it was a forceful and hard hit.

The ball was sent flying over the second base, over the shortstop, and even over the center fielder, and immediately landed outside the venue.

"Home Run!"

"Wow!" T.K. danced around the bases.

"I knew you'd pull it through, T.K, even though nobody know what the hell you're doing while you died!" Fujimaki, which is also a member of Takamatsu's team, exclaimed.

T.K. continued to dance, this time towards the home base. As he did so, he stepped on the home plate and shouted.

"Don't stop dancing!"

"Looks like Takamatsu's team had gotten a good hold on this tournament." Nishida said. "This would be interesting."

"C'mon, we're not worse than them, cheer up!" Hinata said, tried to keep the morale of the team at high.

Otonashi just stared at his team, which looked a kind of horrified.

It wasn't too long after that, the match concluded with Takamatsu's Team advancing to the quarterfinals.

* * *

With the match concluded, Match 2 was then taking their initialization. It was Takeyama's Team facing against an NPC team.

The match was a __Kanzen-shiai__ , no one could score even a 1. Both teams struggled to score, while their scoreboard were filling with a numerous amount of 0.

At least, it was, until the 9th inning. The score was tying a 0-0, two outs, and Takeyama's team takes the batting. On the batter zone was none other than Matsushita __go-dan__.

It was a walk-off chance. If Matsushita was able to score on this attempt, that is, a home run, then the match will be concluded with a walk-off win. But if not, the match continues.

The first ball was thrown. Matsushita didn't move and keep focusing on his plan, resulting in the ball landing in the strike zone.

"Strike one!"

The second ball was thrown, this time it was a 82 mph Slider ball. The ball went in an untouchable area of the batter zone.

"Ball one!"

"A __kanzen-shiai__ , this game was nothing but a heart-thumping match outright." Otonashi said, earning a nod from Nishida and Hinata.

"C'mon, Matsushita __go-dan__ , you can do it!" Hinata shouted.

The third ball was thrown. It's a 90 mph 4-seam fastball, and coincidentally was the kind of pitch Matsushita had waited. Without any hesitation, Matsushita swung his bat with such a force that it flew very far away across the field.

" _ _Sayonara__ Homerun!" Matsushita's teammates stood in awe and glee.

And so, with that walk-off homerun, Takeyama's team also made it to the quarterfinals.

* * *

From afar, Yuri spectated the venue from her "office" with her binocular. On her ears was attached a handsfree connecting to the ones worn by her secretary Yusa.

"The Battlefront Guerilla Operation had been going smooth so far. Takamatsu's team and Takeyama's team had sealed the quarterfinals slot." Yusa reported.

"Yosh...guess the threat really worked on them well."

* * *

-A few hours later-

It was some moments before the 8th Venue, it was now an NPC team against Hinata's Team.

"Looks like the Battlefront teams had got their quarterfinals ticket." Otonashi said.

"Alright then, let's win one too." Hinata remarked.

* * *

-Later, at the Venue field-

"If you want to advance, you have to beat my team first." Hinata declared towards the NPC on the enemy team.

"Why suddenly so much team joined this competition..." The NPC murmured, very obvious that he was annoyed.

"Hey, we're also students here. Of course we could join the competition. Take it easy, friend." Hinata replied. "Right?" Hinata poked Yui's arm. "Hey, say something."

"Give it your all, idiots!" Yui exclaimed, only to be tackled furiously by the blue-haired captain. "Idiot! What if they really gave their all!"

"Agh! Sorry! Sorry!"

And as the "struggle" finished, both teams went to their separate benches. Hinata and his team formed a group and discussed about the game.

"Okay, so for the our starters will be: Otonashi, you'll be the first batter."

"Uh, Me?"

"Uh, why him?" An unsatisfactory sound emanated from the halberd-wielding idiot of the team.

"I've got plans for you, Noda. Just shut up already." Hinata replied. "The second will be me, then Shiina, then you, Noda."

"Accepted." Both Shiina and Noda replied respectively.

( ** **The four NPC girls' name were not mentioned, or probably mentioned but missed my eye, so I made up four names for them)****

"The fifth will be Megumi (Girl 1), then Yui, then Saki (Girl 2). The eighth will be Nishida and the ninth will be Irie. For Ayane (Girl 3) and Machi (Girl 4), you'll be acting as reserve and pinch hitter, you'll be playing as substitution if any of us were fatigued or injured, or maybe you'll play for the next games in the starting line-up. Everyone clear?"

" _ _Hai!__ " Everyone replied.

"Okay then, Let's do our best, and WIN!" Hinata said, raising his hand upwards, expecting everyone to follow. But sadly, no one did follow him, except Otonashi with a slow, weak hand-raise, followed by the others, also slow and weak.

"Your lack of unity is shocking." Hinata sighed.

* * *

TEAM HINATA: Batting

TEAM NPC 1 : Defending

Team Hinata Starting Line Up:

1\. Otonashi

2\. Hinata

3\. Shiina

4\. Noda

5\. Megumi

6\. Yui

7\. Saki

8\. Nishida

9\. Irie

Pinch Hitters: Ayane, Machi

* * *

And so, the NPC team made their way to their position, and then

PLAY BALL!

Otonashi quickly made his way to the batter zone. The NPC pitcher then made a throw. It was a classic 94 mph 4-seam fastball.

Otonashi might not be one of those special athletes. But he was athletic and focused enough that he could hit it no problem.

"Clang!"

Ball was hit inside the infield as a liner, passing the pitcher and the second baseman, and made its way to the empty center outfield.

"Great job, Otonashi!" Hinata remarked.

However, one figure was not happy with the hit, and made his way to the center field. His halberd in tow.

"Hmph, you think you can outsmart me? Take this!"

Shamelessly, Noda hit back the ball towards Otonashi, which was still standing at the batter zone at the moment.

Of course, this kind of idiot act only earned a heavy awkward silence and jaw-drop, as expected of a halberd-wielding, Yurippe-crazed idiot.

Shocked and annoyed that his hit was being hit back, Otonashi hit the ball again, however it again approaches the halberd-wielding idiot, earning another return hit.

And so it continues.

"THAT'S NOT HOW WE PLAYED IT!" Hinata screamed at the "duel".

"Right, this is neither Tennis nor Badminton, you guys!" Nishida added.

"Out!" The referee signalled.

The second and third batters, respectively being Hinata and Shiina, managed to score a hit, and so they made it into first and second bases.

Now it's the turn of the halberd-wielding idiot. And so he walked inside the batter zone. Seeing how casual his stance was, the NPC Catcher asked him.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?" Noda asked quite "innocently". It seems like Noda didn't even know how to play it.

'Hmph, this guy's not even ready yet. Then it works for our advantage.' The catcher said. "Okay, throw the ball!"

The pitcher threw a very fast 4-seam fastball towards the catcher's glove in the batter strike zone.

"Hmph, like this'll scare me, you need to do better than that." Noda growled before swinging the bat to hit the ball high and hard, resulting in the ball landing outside the venue.

"Home Run!" The referee exclaimed, marking the 3-run home run scored by Noda.

'Looks like we can really use this idiot.' Nishida mumbled.

And with the next two batters scored an out each, the top first inning ends with the score of 3-0.

* * *

TEAM HINATA Defense Formation:

1\. Pitcher : Otonashi

2\. Catcher : Noda

3\. 1st Base : Megumi

4\. 2nd Base : Hinata

5\. 3rd Base : Yui

6\. Shortstop : Irie

7\. Left : Shiina

8\. Center : Nishida

9\. Right : Saki

Substitutions : Ayane, Machi.

* * *

"Okay, why am I the pitcher?" Otonashi mumbled, dissatisfied with his position.

"Because Noda beat you in scoring, so you're going for the pitcher role, as simple as that." Hinata said.

"Come on!" Noda said from the catcher zone.

Otonashi sensed it would be troublesome later on, but continued to throw the ball, which landed on Noda's gloves in the strike zone.

"Strike!"

Unexpectedly, Noda stood up and took off his catcher's helmet. "Hmph, you need to do better than that." and forcefully threw the ball at Otonashi. Unfortunately, Noda didn't make it back to the batter zone, and so...

Otonashi threw the ball at Noda, and again it was returned. But since Noda's not in the strike zone, pitch's counted as a "Ball".

" STOP WITH THE IDIOTIC GAMES!" Hinata exclaimed furiously, again fed up with the two's commotion.

"Four Ball!" The referee declared as the batter got the first base free pass.

"Noda, you can continue this while crouching here. Do you hear me?" Hinata said, earning only an ignorant smirk from the catcher.

He obeyed him, anyway.

And so, the "duel" continued more "disciplined" in the batter zone and the commotion earned them quick three consecutive strike-outs.

The game continued quite fiercely, with Hinata's team dominating the game.

* * *

-Bottom Second Inning, two outs, Runner base 1-

Otonashi threw a fast ball at the batter, responded with a hit from the batter. It was a short-stop fly, which means Irie was in the position to catch the fly ball.

However, her doubts was still in the surface, and so as the ball descend, Irie failed to reach the ball and it bounces to her side of the glove and descending to the ground.

"N...No..."

"Irie, watch out!" Nishida, which is on her back due to his position as a center outfielder ran towards her to catch the ball before reaching the ground. However, looking shocked, Irie didn't budge even a movement, so by the time Nishida tackled and caught the ball, he also tackled Irie down with him.

And, somehow it resulted in such a way that Nishida caught the ball outright, but his other hand somehow reached her...err..."chest" (if you know what I mean), and somehow managed a grope.

Of course, as innocent as Irie is, she unconsciously slapped Nishida on the face, resulting in the purple-haired ex-assassin sprawled to the ground, but with the ball still intact. With the strength he had, he raised the glove with the ball inside.

"Out! Change!" The referee said, marking the third out and change of inning.

Nishida slowly got up, but found Irie already stood in front of him, her face showing redness and concern.

"Sorry, Nishida- _ _san__ , I wasn't planning to hit you." Irie apologized.

"No need to apologize. You did the right thing. If necessary, I should be the one apologizing for such an embarrassing event. That made me a pervert." Nishida replied, apologizing on his own.

"Nah, I know you did it not on purpose." Irie smiled, still red from the embarrassment.

"Hey, you two, would you just stop flirting and made our way to the bench!" Hinata shouted at the two purple-haired young adults.

Irie blushed red, while Nishida tried to contain the blush so it wasn't shown, and made their way to the bench.

"By the way, Irie, could you do me a favor?"

* * *

-A few minutes later-

It was the top third inning. Score's at 7-0, One out, no runner, and it's Nishida's turn to hit the ball.

"All right, one score and we could qualify for a called game. Let's get 'em." Nishida thought. Seeing Noda being restrained by Hinata, Nishida didn't have any reason to worry from the idiot's antics.

The ball was thrown, and Nishida hit it with an outfield liner, hitting the ground behind the right outfielder, and managed to make his way to the third base. (Note: The real third base in baseball, not "that" kind of third base.)

And so the next batter will be Irie. Judging from her appearance, she might found it a bit hard to score a home run, and a bit too fragile to score a hit. However, the previous discussion had made her looked quite ready.

"Hmph, this girl might not manage to even land a hit, so I might better be focused to touch out the third-base runner there." The NPC catcher thought. "Throw in now!"

As the pitcher put a stance, suddenly Nishida rushed onto the homefield.

"Irie, now!"

At the shout time, Irie's stance changed to a Bunt stance, holding her bat in front of the catcher's glove.

" _ _Ma...Masaka__! A squeeze?"

"Tick!" The sound of the ball hitting the stagnant bat could be heard. The ball managed to roll slowly onto the pitcher, but it was too late for the pitcher to stop Nishida from reaching the home base.

True, Irie's been put an Out because the pitcher managed to get the ball and threw in at the first baseman, but the action had made Nishida scored 1 point, and so it qualifies for a chance of a called game.

"Great job, Irie- _ _san__!" Nishida said, offering a handshake.

" _ _A...Arigatou__." Irie said, responding to the handshake.

"Ahem, get a room, you two." Hinata grumbled.

"So what? Shouldn't you be the one to get a room for yourself and that pink-haired girl over there?"

"Shut up!" Hinata spat.

And so the game continues with another triple strike-out from Otonashi, thus ending the game in a called game.

* * *

-At SSS HQ-

"Hinata's team had put on a called game, and advanced to the next round." Yusa informed the leader.

"Great, our plan is bearing its fruit, guess they're really afraid of the penalty." Yuri replied.

"It almost seemed like you're the bad guy, Yuri."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

-At the Venue Field-

However, the plan wasn't going as smooth as it was already planned. Takamatsu's and Takeyama's team was wiped out as it progresses, and so team Hinata was the only team left from the Battlefront, and coincidentally they made their way to the finals, and met the team led by none other than Tenshi herself, along with her Vice President, which introduced himself as Ayato Naoi. The team was consisting of the Afterlife Baseball Club members.

"This is a bit of an unfair position, us against the trained club members, you gotta be kidding me!" Hinata mumbled.

"Nonetheless, we have no choice, we have to win or else Yurippe will be giving us the penalty." Nishida said.

"Alright, let's win this!" Otonashi said.

And so, the finals began.

* * *

TEAM HINATA Starting Line:

1\. Otonashi

2\. Hinata

3\. Shiina

4\. Noda

5\. Nishida

6\. Ayane

7\. Irie

8\. Machi

9\. Yui

Pinch Hitters: Saki, Megumi.

* * *

"Play Ball!" The referee shouted.

With a calm, a bit nervous stance, Otonashi made his way to the batter zone. Hinata was restraining Noda along with Nishida, thus reducing the chance of Noda screwing up to a very minimum.

And so the pitch was made, which was returned by a contact hit towards the right field, securing a single base hit.

Apparently the same goes to Hinata and Shiina. And that makes the status as "Bases Loaded".

It was fully paid off as Noda managed to score a home run, bringing Hinata's team a Grand Slam worth of 4 points early in the game.

"Noda's could be useful despite the fact that he's an idiot." Nishida mumbled as he made his way to the batter zone.

"Hm, what did you say?" Noda suddenly confronted him as he went back to the bench from the home base.

"Nothing other than you're an idiot. But since you contributed to the team, I decided not to press this issue further." Nishida said.

"You little..."

"STOP IT!" Hinata yelled at them.

The game progresses quite fluently. Nishida hit a double, but Ayane was struck out. Which makes the next batter will be none other than Miyuki Irie. Despite being not too skilled, she managed to land a hit as far as the central field and bounced on the dirt, allowing Nishida to run back home with another point.

Nishida was in glee, before realizing that something's not right with Irie. She ran very slowly to the first base, and her face looked somehow wincing in pain.

"Irie- _ _san,__ you can do it!" Nishida supported with a yell.

The ball was thrown onto the first baseman. However, Irie somehow lost her footing and stumbled forward, coincidentally touched the first base before the ball landed on the first baseman's glove.

"Safe!" The referee declared.

"Time Out!" Nishida suddenly yelled as he ran towards Irie. Otonashi and Hinata followed him soon thereafter. Both Otonashi and Hinata wasn't dumb enough that something's not right with their shortstop, and decided to follow Nishida.

"Irie- _ _san__ , __daijoubu?__ " Nishida asked, a bit concerned. It isn't strange since he witnessed Irie's painful expression before.

Irie was actually wanting to say that she's alright. However she knew like before that Nishida could almost see through her and decided not to lie.

"My...my ankle..." Irie stuttered, still wincing in pain. Nishida took initiative and took off Irie's shoes and socks, and examined the designated damage area. Apparently the right ankle had some red marks and was a bit swollen, so there's a possibility that Irie sprained her right ankle or even had a fracture.

"I know it would heal as time goes, but I guess it will be better if we take the usual first aid right now. I'm bringing her to the infirmary." Nishida said as he began to position himself so Irie was on his back, earning an instant heavy blush from the girl in tow.

"But, how about the game?" Hinata asked.

"We still had the two substitutions, right?" Let one be the pinch runner for Irie, and the other substitute me. If there's still time, I'll be back." Nishida said. "Don't mind both of us and continue the game."

"O...Okay..." Hinata said.

'Strange. I know Nishida was so friendly with Irie, but somehow this is too friendly, by chance. And judging from Irie's reactions when interacting with Nishida, they probably had some connection, but how?' Otonashi thought. 'Does Nishida hide something?'

* * *

-Infirmary-

" _ _S...Sumimasen,__ Nishida- _ _san__." Irie apologized as they arrived at the infirmary. "Because of me, you can't continue the game."

"Nah, it's okay. The teams' strong already without me." Nishida replied. "What's more, I'm the one inviting you to the team, so you're my responsibility, of course."

Irie turned silent. Her violet eyes were fixated on the "caretaker" at the moment as he took some medicines and other stuffs.

"Eh, is something on my face?" Nishida asked, confused by Irie's stare.

"N...No, nothing." Irie replied.

Nishida then started to take some bandages, ice and some medicine kits, then crouched near Irie's ankle, starting to treat them.

"For a guy, you looked quite skilled on treating this kind of wounds, Nishida- _ _san."__

"Uh.. _ _ano__...in my previous life, I was very used to treat and be treated like this, getting these kind of injury was not uncommon for me before." Nishida replied.

"Ah, come to think of it, Nishida- _ _san__ , when you're alive, what did you do for a living?" Irie asked, although she had very well known about his past thanks to her "spying" a few days before.

"Well, it's nothing too exciting, and I don't feel to explain about it."

"Ah.. _ _sumimasen__ , I shouldn't have asked."

As she finished speaking, Nishida had also finished treating Irie's wounds, and it looked like Nishida's going to leave the infirmary, before someone stopped him.

"C...Could you stay with me?" The voice came from the injured girl himself.

"Of course, I wasn't going to leave, anyway. Like I've said before, you're my responsibility." Nishida replied.

The two stayed at the infirmary, chatted for a little time, before somehow Irie drifted to sleep in the infirmary. Being a bit bored, Nishida observed the game from the window. It looked like it was almost the last inning, but somehow his eyes were focused on a certain blue-haired friend of his. He noticed that Hinata spaced out for several times, like something's bothering him.

"I guess, Hinata owed me an explanation after this."

* * *

-Meanwhile with Irie-

-Dreamscape-

-Irie's PoV-

 _ _I stood again in a very familiar place.__

 _ _Again, I found myself in the city skirts of Meguro, with the same shopping center, the same shops, the same time.__

 _ _Eh, the same time, really?__

 _ _I've checked the time in my phone (fortunately I brought one now) and confirmed that the time was the same as the time of my previous dream.__

 _ _So, a dream again, huh?__

 _ _At this time, if I am not mistaken, I should've been buying the bread loaves at that bakery, and the time I knew about this place.__

 _ _This time, I don't have to buy the loaves since I've already known about this place. Although well, I missed that smell of tasty loaves that caught my sense of smell.__

 _ _Wait a second, if this was the same place and the same time, then...__

 _ _I immediately made my way to the bakery, and just as I had expected, the girl I saw on my previous dream was standing there, near the bakery, still looking at the same direction.__

 _ _This time, I didn't ask about her. I knew already that she won't respond to me, like the previous time. She didn't seem to speak even a word. And her gaze was fixated without any movements of the pupil.__

 _ _This time, I just managed to copy her, looking at the same direction, unmoving like a statue. I don't know why but I just followed this girl's antics so I could know why did she do this.__

 _ _All of the sudden, I spotted somebody very familiar walking towards us. He was a few yards away from us, and was running at our direction.__

 _ _And this time also, for the first time I heard a voice from the girl.__

 _"_ _ _He truly takes his time..."__

 _ _There's no doubting it. The guy running to us was none other than the younger Nishida-san. He looked a bit cuter than his older self at the Afterlife...W...What am I thinking?__

 _ _On his hand was a kind of box, wrapped with such embellishment that it looks quite pretty. I surely had no idea about what it is, but it probably was addressed to me. You can hope, right?__

 _ _However, the event really took place. A kind of black car suddenly passed and braked between us. And I also heard the muffled scream.__

 _ _It can't be...it, right? Seriously?__

 _ _But it is... by the time the car went off, the younger Nishida vanished.__

 _ _It is, no doubt.__

 _ _I've just witnessed Nishida's kidnapping moment.__

 _ _Now, if I'm not mistaken, I knew the girl was going to run towards the kidnapping area. And yes she was, but unexpectedly with a kind of scream.__

 _"_ _ _SHUGO-SAN!"__

 _ _And so she ran, I followed suit. This time no headaches occurred, not like the previous dream. Apparently I caught up with her, and saw her taking the box and uncovered the content, which somehow put me in a heavy shock.__

 _ _And there's also the paper, a kind of paper, being held by the girl. Seems the paper was slipped inside the box too. I took a peek and recognized the words.__

 _ _It was then...__

 _"_ _ _Aaahhh!" The headache suddenly struck me again. The painful feeling was still the same, and the end result is almost the same.__

 _ _I passed out.__

* * *

 _ _-__ Afterlife-

"Aaaahh!" I screamed as I got up from the bed. Apparently I was still on the infirmary and the companion, the one I want him to stay, was still beside me. It's obvious he was shocked with the sudden outburst.

"Irie, hold out! What happened?" Nishida asked.

"N...Nothing, just a nightmare." I replied to him. However, the remnants of the dream piled inside me, and one thing quickly became my main concern.

"Nishida- _ _san__ , could you accompany me to my room?" I asked.

"Huh?" The purple-haired young man began to look confused. "That's not possible, I can't access the girl's dorms, you know? Should I ask Seki..."

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ , is everything all right? I think I heard you scr..."

Someone was at the infirmary entrance, and froze instantly. The one at the door, speak of the devil, was Sekine herself.

"S...Sorry for interrupting your moment."

"You're not interrupting anything. In fact, can you help me?" Nishida asked.

"Hmm, how?"

"Could you bring Irie back to her dorm? Looking at the time, the injury should be healing a bit better so you could just be her crutch."

"In that case, I think I can." Sekine replied, before taking me by the hand and shoulder, supporting my walk.

"See you next time, Irie- _ _san__." Nishida greeted to me.

I couldn't respond anything except with a little blush. After all, my main concern is that "thing" inside my dream, and possibly the same one in my dorm room.

As we arrived, I immediately locked the room, and looked at the place I almose never touched anymore. The place where I left every things that wasn't necessary for my daily life here at the Afterlife.

Apparently my search bore me a fruit, as I found what I'm searching for. A box, the same box as the one inside my dreams. And I quickly froze as I looked inside.

It was an opal necklace, and it was the obvious same with the one in my dream, and also the secret paper that I managed to take a peek in the dream.

All of this suddenly make sense to me.

All of my curiosity was paid off. Everything was now clear, as of why Nishida was familiar to me, as I mumbled very softly.

 _"_ _ _Nishida-san wa watashi no osananajimi..."__

* * *

 ** **A/N: And that concludes the first part of the story. So yeah, there are a lot of unfamiliar words in the story. Feel free to ask me about the meanings of the terms.****

 ** **The last sentence, you can guess, means: Nishida-san was my childhood friend. So, like many of you might guess, Nishida was none other than Irie's childhood friend, and now Irie knew about this fact. However, Nishida haven't. So with one of them got the memory, how will Irie's interaction with Nishida be? Will it go awkward? Or somehow will it go to the way where Irie's getting more closer to Nishida for some purpose?****

 ** **And a little of a spoiler, Otonashi, Yuri and Sekine will take a good part on this story for some occasions for some reasons.****

 ** **The next chapter will be the second part out of three. Although the anime moments stayed remained, there will be much more difference, especially when Irie's personality might change a little bit because of the realization.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you!****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	9. A Problem of A Guy

****A/N: Back with another chapter! In the last chapter, Irie discovers the true identity of Nishida, which concludes the first part out of three. Although actually, I'm going to create more than three parts, or in other words, i planned to make a sequel (I planned a crossover but it's not fixed yet), but since I got too little time, I don't know if I could post it immediately.****

 ** **This chapter will be the second part of the story. And one other member of the Battlefront will eventually take part in a secret project that will commence on some time. You could see at the chapter below!****

 ** **Anyway, for the review from author**** ** **Enilorac Eiram:****

 ** **Yeah, that moments are laughable and somehow sweet and cute, at least for me. You know, why Yui reacted so much only when Hinata was talking? (see the opening of Episode 4, Yui always protested when it's Hinata's turn to talk, like it's hinting that Yui got a little connection to Hinata, or so just I thought.****

 ** **Nishida and Irie's "sweet" moment was actually to make a little more interaction. The inspiration of course came from one of my favorite ecchi anime, you can guess!****

 ** **I hope I can live up to your expectations! Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Here's the Chapter!****

* * *

Chapter 9- A Problem of a Guy

(A little bonding with a certain member)

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

A few weeks after the commotion with the Baseball Competition, Yuri summoned almost every members of the Battlefront.

"Greetings, everyone! I summoned you here because the time of Angel's Assault is approaching."

Angel's Assault? Does that mean Angel will eventually wage battle against us? Herself against us? Really?

I guess I had no idea, but if it really was that kind of battle we're facing, then maybe I had no choice but to train myself a bit more.

Or that's what I think everyone in the Battlefront want me to do, and that's if it really involves a bloody war to occur.

However...

"The test week is coming up."

Test week?

My head went spinning in confusion. What is the relation between test week and Angel's Assault? Will Angel attack us with paper and ballpoints instead of that kind of arm blade this time? My mind formed a kind of scenario where Angel tried to stab us using a paper-made knives and pointy ballpoints, enough to make me giggle.

"Uh, something's funny, Nishida- _ _kun__?" Yuri asked as she saw me.

"Ah...No...no...It's just, what's the relation between Angel's assault and Test week? Don't tell me Angel's going to wage war against us using weapon made from test paper and ballpoints?"

"Hah! Your jokes are not funny, Nishida- _ _san__." Hinata grumbled.

"How shallow-minded." A lone female voice emerged from the corner of the room.

"I don't know if you're trying to crack the tenseness of this meeting, but you know very well that's not what I'm talking about." Yuri said.

"O...kay..." I replied softly.

"So, for this Angel's assault, could you explain to us about it, and what do we have to do?" I heard the sound of Otonashi asking. To be honest, I think the one with a "still-normal" comprehension to me was only Otonashi. The rest...well...sounded like comprehending everything in a hyperbola before. And I guess, the same goes for today.

"So, we all know that Angel was also the Student Council President here. Of course by the assault, we mean about the test week, where we had to attend a week full of school examination. That's, of course, important for Angel as well" Takamatsu explained in Yuri's position.

See? another hyperbola...

"However, this period is also a period where we could pull one over Angel." Yuri said, smirking.

"Judging from that tone of voice, it seems like you have something planned for this, am I right?" Fujimaki stated.

"So, what should we do?" I asked plainly.

"We could get in the way of Angel's exam, and make her get failing grades. Doing so will lower her scores to the lowest of the school."

"What will that do?" Ooyama asked.

"Her fall from grace."

"Ah, I get it." I replied. "You mean we will make her fail her tests, and doing so will make her lose her image as the majestic Student Council President, and let her credibility being torn apart, right?"

"I guess you could say that, but you can use kinda softer word, you know?" Otonashi asked. "Like, Angel's image on the teachers and other students will change, instead of being torn apart."

"Well, pardon me for my lack of word choices." I smirked in sarcasm.

"Then, those change of image, what will it do?" Matsushita asked.

"Who knows? I haven't predicted that ahead." Yuri replied. ' _ _However, if by the smallest chance, she is not an angel sent by God, and instead was a human, just like us, then the fall from grace will deal a heavy dose of emotional blow for her...'__

"Let me prepare the operation for a time. You can wait here, it won't take long." Yuri said, before contacting her own secretary. " _ _Nee, Yusa, you there?"__

"Yeah, I'm here. Is there something I can do?" Yusa replied from the handsfree.

"I want you to help me prepare an operation."

"All right. I'll be on the usual place. And anyway, could I ask you a favor?"

* * *

-GirlDeMo's Rehearsal Room-

-Third Person's PoV-

A strum of guitars and beats of drums could be heard from the unused class, which was the usual GirlDeMo's room for training. The sound was still charming, but everyone hearing it probably know that the sound and the rhythm of the group was a bit different from usual.

Almost everyone knew the reason why the group's changes existed. The biggest of the reasons is because of the "little shifting" of the band structure, specifically on the lead-singing. A contrast face "decorated" the group, from a silent,cool personality to a very noisy and blunt one.

"And yeah!" the new lead-singer of GirlDeMo shouted. Although it was for the good, the electric-guitarist of the group found it a bit disturbing and thus could only sweatdrop in embarrassment.

"Well, I suppose it won't be bad, but I hope you can be cautious yourself, Yui." Hisako remarked. "Your energetic wiles isn't that bad, but that doesn't mean you can just go blind with your tone!"

"What's wrong with my singing, anyway?" Yui asked.

"It doesn't synchronize with your guitar-playing, if I had to be blunt." Irie replied.

"And since it doesn't synchronize with yourself, then we can't expect to synchronize with you also." Sekine chimed in, completing Irie's remark.

"Oh, come on..." Yui pouted.

"Hahh...it's nerve-wracking just to argue with this girl." Hisako said. "C'mon, we should take a break."

The group then took off their instruments, again except for Irie who just put down her drumsticks.

"Well, apart from the synchronization problem, I think today's training was a charming display, everyone." Hisako said. "Although, I wonder why someone was so heated up today."

Hisako's eyes turned on Irie, earning a confusion from the drummer in question. "Eh, what's wrong?"

"Your drum playing was somehow a bit stronger than usual, and your face seemed happy for some reason during your performance. Is something going on?"

Irie's face flushed a little, although confusion was still on her face. Meanwhile, her best friend was somehow grinning, like a mischievous idea is in her head.

"Oh, I get it." Sekine suddenly shouted, like a student finding a solution to a math problem. "Maybe she confessed to Nishida- _ _san__ and get accepted."

All members of the group was shocked. Irie went beet red of the sudden accusation. "Huh?"

"Of course it wasn't." Irie evaded. "I'm just got fully refreshed after getting enough sleep last night."

"Well, you can keep it on yourself. Although I could guess that something's going on between Irie and that Nishida guy." Hisako said, smirking a little.

"Not you too, Hisako!"

"Oh, then could you explain about that necklace you're wearing right now, Miyuki- _ _chi__?" Sekine remarked. "I think you had never worn that before. I must say, Nishida's quite bold and rushed to give you that precious accessory this early."

"It wasn't from Nishida, __at least not here in the Afterlife__." Irie said, whispering the last part to herself. "It happened to be mine the first time I arrived in here. I forgot where I put it before, but apparently I've found it yesterday in my room. Anyway, where's Yui?"

"She's going to the toilet. It's been a while now, I wonder if she got a bad stomachache." Hisako replied. "Anyway, after she finished, we can continue our training. Is it okay?"

"Right."

* * *

-SSS HQ-

"Alright, the preparation for this operation had been made. I'm going to assign members for this operation."

"Huh? Why don't everyone be assigned for this operation?" Noda asked.

"Because if we did, and we started a commotion, we'll be moved to different classes and we can't progress our plan to overthrow Angel." Yuri said. "Alright then, the members for this operation will be: Takamatsu- _ _kun__ , Hinata- _ _kun__ , Ooyama- _ _kun__ , Takeyama- _ _kun__ , Otonashi- _ _kun__ and Nishida- _ _kun__."

"Eh, me?" Otonashi asked, a bit dumbfounded.

"We only chose the members which looked normal enough. Well, except for Nishida for certain reasons."

"Are you saying that I'm not looking normal?" Nishida asked with mock annoyance.

"Yeah, totally." Yuri said. "Anyway, Yusa asked me for you to meet her on the riverside under the bridge, she had something to tell you. The rest of you could do whatever you like, but do not interfere with the operation. The operation will start tomorrow morning on our first test. Well then..."

"OPERATION, START!"

* * *

-Under the Bridge-

As soon as the operation was declared to a start, Nishida took his leave and went towards the riverside under the bridge, the usual place where he "attended" his usual firearms practice. He usually visited this place on weekly basis for training, but this time, he had someone waiting for him.

"Boy, it's unusual for that girl wanting to meet me, let alone meeting me under the bridge, a very unusual meeting place." Nishida thought. "Don't tell me this girl wanted to meet me there so she could kill me, then dumped my body on the river? After all, she's usually hostile towards me."

"Nishida, stop your delusions and watch where you're going." A voice suddenly entered his right ear. He turned to see the waiting girl already stood up next to him.

"Ah, there you are. Sorry." Nishida apologized, slightly bowing to the blonde girl.

"Huff...all boys are always the same..." Yusa grumbled emotionlessly, causing Nishida to turn dumbfounded.

'All boys are always the same?' Nishida thought. 'What's wrong with boys, anyway? What made her despise boys like this.' only for his mind to suddenly form a realization. ' _ _Ma...Masaka!'__

"Hey, stop daydreaming!"

"Uh...wha...oh sorry, just spaced out for a moment." Nishida replied. "Anyway, why are you calling me here? Is this related to the operation or something?"

Yusa kept silent for a moment, before answering him, "Partly yes, but it's not only for this operation, this might be concerning you as well for your future "Afterlife" life here. But first," Yusa paused for a moment, "Can you tell me something?"

"Well, what do you want to know, Miss?" Nishida replied in a mock respect.

"Sarcasm won't do you any good." Yusa replied, definitely was annoyed with the sarcastic reply. "Can you tell me about your relation with a certain member of GirlDeMo?"

"Eh..." Nishida replied, seriously shocked with the sudden unexpected question. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And I know when boys lied to me." Yusa replied, again without such emotion. "Okay, I'll make it much more specific then. What's going on between you and Miyuki Irie?"

"..."

'Is this really Yusa I'm talking with?' Nishida thought. He would never imagine an ultimate stoic robotic emotionless secretary of the Battlefront suddenly asked him about his "affair", or at least how it looks like.

"Okay, you can drop the act. You're not Yusa. Who are you?"

"It's rude to reply question with another question. And if you mind, I'm the real Yusa, and stop making me look like a dumb girl whose face could be copied." Yusa's voice pitch increased. "Now answer the question."

"Alright, I will." Nishida slumped in defeat. "I absolutely have no special connection with Irie- _ _san__ , other than a simple friendship. Is that enough for you?"

"You're absolutely lying...I knew...Ah..." Yusa suddenly went shocked as Nishida suddenly grabbed her shoulders, shoving a hard glare towards the blonde girl.

"Look here, Yusa. Look at these eyes. Do these eyes shows a liar's eyes?" Nishida showed her a piercing gaze, which somehow didn't affect her very much.

"Not relevant. Then, if you insist, tell me about your concerns to Irie back at the baseball tournament. Don't you think that concern was a bit too much?"

"That's because I am the one asking her to join my team, and so what happened with her on the tournament in my team is my responsibility! I'm not the type of guy who acts on my own ego."

"Really, now?" Yusa asked. "Irie's looking quite bashful near you..."

"Then don't ask me, ask her by yourself. How could I suppose to know about her feelings?" Nishida said, only to be replied by a sudden angry face from the girl in front of him.

"And that's why I said all boys are the same." Yusa said.

"What do you mean?"

"The matters are now aside. I'm actually asking you to come here for another reason."

Yusa gave Nishida a kind of emblem and a radio with earphones. "I've discussed with Yuri and the members of GirlDeMo. Although I was reluctant at first, I admired of what you do on our Tenshi Infiltration Mission. So, we're going to assign you as the second spy of SSS, beside me." Yusa said, this time Nishida could see a little, faint smile on the supposed-to-be-emotionless girl.

'Somehow her smile looked creepy, given how rare hers is.' Nishida thought.

"Oh, as for the job, you'll be under my command for now on, and your focus will be on Diversion, so you'll be teaming up with GirlDeMo for any operations that needs Diversion. Otherwise you can keep joining any other Battlefront missions. You understand?"

Nishida looked reluctant at first, but agreed to the job.

"Okay then, I'm going." Yusa said, before stopped by the purple-haired guy herself. "Wait!"

"Uh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I'm just wondering..." Nishida asked before continuing. "Why do you hate boys so much?"

"What makes you say that?" Yusa replied nonchalantly.

"You always said, "Boys are all the same" with disgruntled voice and I could sense anger in it." Nishida answered. "We all know boys are also humans, and all humans are not exactly the same. So, is there something that makes you hold grudges against us boys?"

Yusa kept calm for a moment, before answering. "I'm not going to answer that now."

"Why?"

"I don't feel like it. And it's up to you boys yourself to reflect about it."

With that, Yusa made her way towards God knows where, leaving Nishida standing under the bridge, dumbfounded.

"What's with her?"

However, as Yusa walked back, Yusa murmured along the way.

"Show me, Nishida. Show me that boys aren't that bad. You have to be more sensitive to someone's feelings."

* * *

-School Building-

Otonashi was in front of the vending machine, and was on his way towards the bridge after buying a canned coffee. Apparently he wanted to talk to Nishida about something.

That was his original plan, before the approach of someone turned it to another direction.

"Thump!"

"Ouch! S...Sorry!" the girl bumping to Otonashi apologized.

"It's okay, I was the one not looking where I'm going." Otonashi said, before registering who bumped onto him. "Eh, Irie- _ _san__?"

"Oh, it's Otonashi- _ _san__ ," Irie said, recognizing the boy, and noticing that he was alone, without his usual companion, "Eh, where's Nishida- _ _san__?"

"I was just on the way to meet him." Otonashi said, before realizing that he, too, had something to discuss with the drummer of the band. "Anyway, since I met you here, I would like to discuss something, do you have some time?"

"Eh...y...yes...I think." Irie replied. "What do you want to discuss, anyway."

"Something important, and I think not many could hear about this. Could we move on to the cafetaria?"

"Er...okay." Irie replied before following the red-brown-haired guy to the designated place.

* * *

-Cafe-

Otonashi got some tickets left at his pocket, and ordered some food for himself and Irie, although actually Irie had also got some on her pocket, but Otonashi seemed insisting for himself.

"So, Otonashi- _ _san__ , what do you want to discuss about?" Irie- _ _san__ asked.

Otonashi's face became serious, and blatantly made his main point. "On the previous baseball tournament, you and Nishida looked a bit more attached than I thought, like you had known each other for a long time. And I think I started to be a bit curious about both of you. So, if I could ask, did both of you have met somewhere before?"

Irie, of course, was dumbstruck with the question. She considered lying, but she knew Otonashi was different from the other SSS members. He's much more reserved and sharp in thought, that it's impossible to hide everything.

"I..."

* * *

 ** **A/N: Boom! A heavy cliffhanger! Sorry for the inconvenience!****

 ** **Anyway, the idea of having Yusa in the picture was totally new to me, and it passed my mind just yesterday! So I'll try it for the first time. I hope it doesn't look bad.****

 ** **Yeah, everyone might suggest that Yusa did play a role too in the relationship, and it could be a good or a bad role, depending on how you see it.****

 ** **The next chapter will cover the rest of episode 5, or maybe before the second operation Tornado. And expect a bit slower updates due to business which is going to cross the peak, because I've got a new task to attend a Mathematics Competition as a committee, and so I've got almost no time at the holidays due to the competition. But I'll try my best!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you!****


	10. SCP Tachibana-Step Down

****A/N: Sorry for the late update! I'm busy with competitions, Thesis and was addicted to Visual Novels. I rarely have time for fanfictions. But now while I have the chance, I'll be updating.****

 ** **For those who also read "The Forbidden Girl" (Samurai Warriors Fanfic) and "Reminiscing the Past Moments" (To Love-Ru Fanfic), I'm still continuing it, but I'll be finding more time and idea for those, so it wasn't on hiatus. The only story in hiatus is only "Contending on Memories" (Kingdom Hearts X Cardfight! Vanguard) because of some reasons!****

 ** **As for the review from Enilorac Eiram, I guess I had PM'ed you the reply? Because there're some things that needed to be cleared on that. But thanks for the review!****

 ** **Without further ado, here's the 10th Chapter!****

Chapter 10- SCP Tachibana-Stepping Down

( _ _A certain male's double concern)__

* * *

-Class-

The test week had finally approached. Every students, either NPC or the humans had to take part in it.

Of course, the SSS will be executing their plan. In order to do that, they might have to take a seat as near as Angel. Or else, the plan will be hard to execute.

This shouldn't be a problem, if and only if they could pick the seat as their own. Even if they used the name basis, at least they have either Takeyama or Takamatsu, which has only one or two number difference from Angel, whose family name is Tachibana.

However, the plan was in danger as they looked at the system of the seating.

"Dammit, this is gambling." Yuri thought as she looked at the system. Apparently one must take a number by chance from the box, and sit at the designated seat.

The classroom's seating adjustment is 6X7, six rows and seven columns. Given that Angel was already in number 37, then they had only three adjacent tables available, five if you count the diagonals, but the plan might be extremely hard if the member was seated in diagonal as Angel.

"So the available numbers we have to get are only 30,36, and 38? This was going to be tough. We have to be really lucky." Nishida said.

"You're right." Otonashi said as she saw Hinata taking a number.

Hinata: "20? Darn it."

Takamatsu: "11, hmm, that too far"

Ooyama: "33...not too far, but still quite far"

Otonashi: "25...that's quite far."

Nishida walked towards the box and took out a number, which turned out to be 42. "Dammit, right corner at the back? It's no use."

"Yeah! I'm Number 1!" Yuri exclaimed, before turning a sudden 180 degree change of desperation. "What the hell!"

"Uh, is she always like this before?" Nishida asked.

"Well, what did you expect from an eccentric like her?"

"No comment..." Nishida said, facepalming.

"Isn't there anyone getting a sear near her?" Yuri said, exasperated.

Takeyama: "36, right in front of Tenshi!"

"Well done, Takeyama- _ _kun__!" Yuri exclaimed. "With this, our operation could commence its start!"

"Er, what should I do, really?" Takeyama asked, obviously not knowing what's in Yuri's mind.

Just after that, every Battlefront members chosen for the operation circled around Yuri's seat (Number 1). The regular students were previously suspicious on this, but thanks to Otonashi's excuses of "having a kind of prayer before test" thing, the NPCs allowed it. Though, one figure just kept low and didn't even tried a glimpse.

"Okay, so here's what we should do:"

1\. When the teacher shares the test papers, grab two of them.

2\. When the teacher collects the test papers, switch Tenshi's test paper with the extra test paper you grab.

3\. Turn in the test paper blank...uh wait, it will be very suspicious...just put stupid answers in it. In the meantime, the others could put out a distraction.

"What kind of distraction?" Hinata asked.

"Anything, you can probably cause something that captures attention." Yuri replied with a smirk.

"Goddamnit..."

"Anyway..." Takeyama suddenly interrupted. "What should I put in Tenshi's fake test paper?"

"You can put an extremely stupid answer, like her hobby, her life motto, her crush, maybe?"

"Wait a minute, that's insane!" Otonashi objected. "How can teachers believe that answer wasn't a prank? You can't answer a question like: "The solution of this differential equation is..." with, "My crush is..." like that, right?

"Then, what about this..." Nishida suddenly interrupted, earning attention from the other Battlefront members. "We have known already about Takeyama's inhuman-alike brain. So..."

"What do you mean by inhuman-alike? And please call me Chri..."

"So, Takeyama- _ _san__ , why don't you try to put just a slight but fatal mistakes on the answers. Like, well, When you write 531, and then you write the 3 a bit look like 8 instead, so it was written as 581 instead. That way, the calculation will be miscalculated and we all know it costs fatally. The same goes for Physics and any other subjects.

"So, basically, you want me to put a wrong answer by putting a very slight but fatal mistake on every question?"

"Exactly!"

"That sounded like a good idea." Yuri said.

"Oh, well..." Takeyama sighs. "I guess I'll do my best then, and please call me Chr..."

"All right, to your seats, everybody." Yuri said, before somebody stopped her.

"Wait, I want to ask something." It was Otonashi who stopped her. "What do we have to write in her name."

"Just put Tenshi..." Yuri said.

"We all know we can't put that name."Otonashi said. "Student Council President also didn't sound quite right."

"Then try to find it at the Student Registry at the Administration Room!" Yuri said like it's an order.

Otonashi nodded and was going to go out of the class, before he was stopped by a certain Student Council President herself.

"What are you doing? The test is about to start." the SCP asked.

" _ _Ano,__ I'm going to the toilet, my stomach hurts." Otonashi replied, before an idea formed in mind. 'Why don't I ask her herself...'

" _ _A...Ano...__ I haven't known about you before, may I ask for your name?"

"Tachibana..."

"First Name?"

"Kanade."

"Kanade..." Otonashi thought. 'The name has a beautiful sound in it.'

"Anyway, seemed like my stomachache had stopped, I'll be back to my seat right now. Please to meet you, Kanade."

Kanade replied with nothing. Otonashi then went back to Yuri's seat, confirming the name.

"Oh right, I knew that."

"You already knew?"

"I just forgot, okay?"

All of the sudden, a large adult with a tidy suit entered the room, which was recognized to be the test spectator, which was filled by one of the NPC teachers.

"Alright, we're starting. To your seats, everybody!"

And with that, the test begins.

* * *

-Otonashi's PoV-

I sat on my seat and did the test. Somehow I felt the test was easy enough, despite the fact that I lost my memories.

I wonder if I could do the same like this when I was alive before?

Carefully but surely, I wrote down the right answers for the questions. But then, suddenly Yuri's words rang up in my ears.

 _ _Don't take this test seriously, or else you might disappear__.

I'm not used to this, and somehow this feels ridiculous, how can doing this test ended with our disappearing? But probably Yuri knew everything better than me, so well, I just go with it.

I began to erase my answers, which I believe to be right (no desire for showing off, but I'm just really sure I did), and replace it with wrong answers.

Half an hour later, I "finished" this test after filling it with mock answers, and keep glances on a certain two people, one is a silver-haired female with golden eyes, which introduced herself as Kanade Tachibana.

This girl was the Student Council President, and yet she's more like a fragile, emotionless little girl with a very quiet personality.

Yet again, I sensed a glimpse of naivety on this girl. When I asked about her name very recently, she didn't put any suspicion on me. Does she even know what's a ploy is…

In this case, somehow, if this ploy succeeds, I will feel really bad on her. Does she really deserve this?

Isn't there any other way? Do we really on the two opposite sides? Isn't there any way that we won't disappear, but on the other hand, we could befriend each other.

Wait a minute, why am I so concerned with her…

* * *

Ah, aside from that, my head now take a glimpse towards the purple-haired guy right at the southeastern corner of the class. He looks like he's taking this seriously, and his golden eyes are still focused on the test paper. Or so I thought…because I don't know his real intention

This guy is still mysterious to me despite our friendship. He still has a lot of mystery hidden from us, especially when I realize he had been almost in the same boat, well, an emphasis to the word "Almost". We have one main difference in terms of memory loss. While I lost every drop of my memory, he just lost a part of it. Although I must say, his memory that were lost might be essential.

How can I say this? Well, it was thanks to the certain GirlDeMo member who surprisingly had a close connection to him.

I thought back when Irie told me about what she remembered of her past with Nishida. Who may have thought that Nishida's past, far before the ones that was still retained on his memory, might have been very different, and who might have thought that Irie and Nishida was as close as childhood friends back then in life? You can't tell them by their looks, didn't you.

That part is missing from Nishida, but it exists on Irie, so I knew that Irie will take a very big part to recover his memories. But until we found the way, I think we should just take it easy.

* * *

"Okay, those at the back, give your sheets to the seat in front of you." the teacher said.

Oh…it's done already? Well, I can't help but feeling a bit down, because I knew I will purposely fail on this test. Half of me is thinking, "Hey, it's for the Battlefront, so just let it go…let it go… ** **(it's up to you if you want to insert Frozen's BGM "Let It Go" here or not).**** But on the other hand, I really felt that this is a bit out of hand.

As I finished giving off the test paper, I suddenly hear a very familiar scream from the blue-haired guy

"HEY! WHAT IS THAT? THERE'S A MONSTROUS BAMBOO SHOOT COMING OUT FROM THE GROUND!"

Nobody bats an eye, it is a very uncomfortable silence.

 _ _Stupid Hinata__.

This plan might fail if there's no other distraction.

All of a sudden, I just heard something activating, like a __rocket launcher__ , or something like that.

I turned to see the same blue-haired guy had his chair being rocketed towards the rooftop, and his head was banged there.

 _ _Wow…what a distraction__.

Of course, this one was a very big success, as everyone's eyes, including Kanade's (according to my own sight), was on the rocketed chair and the falling guy. Man…I wish for his safety.

But…who did that, anyway?

I was too distracted that I didn't know that Takeyama was doing his job.

The previous question, anyway, was then answered after we gathered ourselves in Yuri's table.

* * *

( ** _ _ **For this part, it will be written in dialogue format since it was fully dialogue)**__**

Hinata: "Y…You put it on purpose?"

Yuri: "Of course, I already put it in case you messed up, and you do." (smirking in ignorance). "How do you like your space flight?"

Hinata: "All I felt was only myself hitting the ceiling and falling down just in mere seconds! Do you know how that feel? And how the hell did you make a rocket engine?"

Yuri: "Nishida and Yusa helped me making one, well, Nishida didn't know its purpose, anyway, and you should be grateful instead since I covered up for your mistake! Operation success, right, Takeyama- _ _kun__?"

Takeyama: "No errors…and please call me…"

Yuri: "Takamatsu- _ _kun__ , you're next."

Takamatsu: "Eh, me? What should I do?"

Yuri: "Create a distraction"

Takamatsu: "Isn't that Hinata's role?"

Hinata: "What do you mean?"

Takeyama: "Uh, so what should I do this time? This time we can't use Nishida's method since it's not involving Counting."

Yuri: "What subject is it?"

Takeyama: "World History"

Yuri: "Then, just put stupid answers like Aliens are going to invade the earth, and any other like that."

 _ _Well, will the teachers even believe in that?__

Takamatsu: "You got an easy role."

Takeyama: "How can you say that? I'm on a critical mission here, it wasn't that easy."

Takamatsu: "Then switch our roles."

Takeyama: "Nope! To do this, you have to be smart enough to come up with an answer."

Takamatsu: "Is that an indirect way of calling me stupid…"

Yuri: (screams) "HEY, NO FIGHTING!

That scream suddenly captured the attention of everyone, including Kanade as she stood up. Well, I have no choice but to make up an excuse to her.

"Eh…sorry…we were just arguing about the right answers, turns out that everyone got their answers wrong, and it's settled, so don't worry.

Kanade: "Okay"

And so she sat back to her seat and everyone sighs in relief. Good Lord…what's wrong with my friends…

Nishida: "That was harsh… Good job on clearing the situation."

I just said nothing.

* * *

The next period of test continued.

When the test was over, suddenly I saw Takamatsu standing up.

Takamatsu: "Um…actually…I have to tell everyone the truth. The truth is…(Taking off his jacket…revealing his toned body)…I'm still too skinny when naked like this."

Teacher: "Okay, thank you for the information, now you can sit down."

Another failure…Smooth, Takamatsu, that was really smooth. Of course, I know what will come, as I heard a rocket launching under Takamatsu's chair, a sense of deja vu, only this time it was on Takamatsu.

* * *

Yuri: "Again…Jeez…how many rocket launchers do I have to use… I thought you had a good plan…"

Takamatsu: "Do you think that's easy to think about a plan like that?"

Yuri: "Hah, whatever. Ooyama- _ _kun__ , it's now your turn."

Ooyama: (Holding head in despair) "Aaahh…I know this would finally come. So what should I do?"

Yuri: "Your seat is on the left back of Tenshi, right?"

Ooyama: "Oh right, so I don't have to do something embarrassing like before, right?"

Yuri: (Smirking) "Sure, just confess to Tenshi."

Ooyama: "Oh, right. (Realizing what Yuri said) Wait, WHAT?"

Yuri: (Feigning a blush) "Yes, just tell her like: "I'm sorry I couldn't find a better time and place…etc" you know what I mean right."

Hinata: "Looks like Ooyama got lucky."

Ooyama: "You think? This might not damage my body, but it will severely damage my heart, you know? I mean, I never confessed to a girl before. (Tearing) And I know that I will be turned down."

Hinata: "Then, this is a practice for you…"

Ooyama: "I need no practice on this! I only fall in love for real"

Hinata: "Are you saying that I love someone not for real?"

Yuri: (screams) "HEY! NO FIGHTING!"

Again, this captures the attention of everyone, and once again I saw Kanade rising from her seat. I immediately stopped her.

"Sorry... It's just, Yuri was getting anxious because Hinata appeared on her dream:

-Dream Script-

Hinata: "Don't think that I am today will be the same as I am tomorrow. You'd better watch out!"

-End Dream Script-

"That was on the dream, and Yuri realized that it was true."

Kanade: "There's two Hinata- _ _kun__ s?"

"Y…You took it that way?"

Kanade: "Do you mean that there are three or more?"

 _ _Seriously, is Kanade too naive that she didn't even realize what that actually means?__

"I…I guess you could say that. But it's now cleared, no need to worry."

Kanade: "Alright then." (Sitting again)

 _ _Damn…that was pretty close.__

Hinata: "What's with me being 3 or more?"

Yuri: "And what's with me being anxious?"

"Oh come on, I'm covering for your mistakes! What's with the reaction?"

Takeyama: "So, what should I do next? The subject is English."

Yuri: "Well, just answer them all with Katakana"

* * *

-Next test period-

As the test finished, I saw Ooyama suddenly stood up and shouted. "T…Tachibana- _ _san!__ "

 _ _Here goes nothing?__

Ooyama: "I'm sorry I couldn't pick up a better time and place, but please go out with me!"

Kanade: (Not even looking back) "Well, pick a better time and place."

 _ _He must've been hurt.__

Teacher: "Okay, you can sit down."

Hinata: "Haha, looks like he's going to fl…..Aaaaahhh!"

Not what I expected. Instead of Ooyama's chair, it was again Hinata's chair that was being put on a rocket engine, and the sense of deja vu quickly emanated on the room.

* * *

-After the test-

Hinata: "Okay, explain to me, why is it ME that was blown off with the rocket engine again?"

Yuri: "Because, Ooyama has already suffered much damage to his heart."

Hinata: "Y…You…"

Yuri: "Let's have lunch!"

The others just look dumbfounded.

* * *

-Rooftop-

 ** **(Back to story format)****

-3rd Person's PoV-

While the others chat and having lunch, Nishida and I just leaned at the rooftop, looking at the scenery in front of us.

"You had done a great job, Otonashi- _ _san__." Nishida said, holding his egg-mayo sandwich on his right hand.

"Well, it wasn't easy. I just don't know how do our friends really thinking…" Otonashi sighed. "By the way, Nishida."

"Hm?"

"Do you think it will change everything? I mean, will this change Tenshi's view towards us, or something like that?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Nishida said.

"Well, it can't be helped. I don't know but somehow this is too much even for Kanade. Does she really have that much of influence and that big of a threat?"

"You seemed much more concerned to her. Are you interested in her?"

"W…Wha…" Otonashi looked surprised, but a little faint of redness could be seen by Nishida's eyes.

"Okay, just joking. But you know what? If both of you get along, then you didn't disappear like Yuri said, then we all know she's not the threat that Yuri had taught us about, and we actually could walk the same path together." Nishida said, before sighing. "That's my hypothesis, alright."

"Are you trying to set me up with Kanade, then?" Otonashi asked

"No, I'm not going to do that. That's the matter of heart and not the matter of jokes right now. We could only rely on your own feelings."

"I suppose I can't object on that. By the way, what's your role here in the operation?" Otonashi asked, feeling a bit curious about his friend being chosen on the operation

"Oh, didn't Yuri said I designed the rocket engines? Although I never thought that it will be used that harsh. I thought it would be set onto the teacher's seat."

"Can't argue on that. Although if it was, then it can't be done multiple times since everyone might knew about it."

"You're absolutely right, oh and I'll be taking also a distraction role for the last test."

* * *

-Last Test Period-

The teacher asked the students to collect the test papers, before Nishida stood up.

"Uh, sir, can I go to the toilet right now?" Nishida asked.

'With that, I bet Nishida would be also sent flying to the ceiling too.' Hinata thought. 'That's even lamer than my attempt.'

"Of course, you can go!" The teacher reply.

"Okay, here I go!" Nishida said as he activated his own rocket engine under the chair, but this time, he managed to control it thanks for being the designer, and flew for quite a long time at the back of the class before rushing in front onto the front door, and opened it before he crashed, enabling him to remain controlling the rocket with the toilet as the destination.

"That is really unexpected way of going onto the toilet." Otonashi said. "Good news is that this one is not screwed up like before."

While Nishida's flying at the back, Takeyama switched the papers. And the test period come to an end.

* * *

-A few days later-

Otonashi walked near the teacher's room to spend his free time, just strolling with no direction, only to find Kanade exited the room with no expression. But when he saw her somehow emotionless walk, he knew something is going on.

"Tachibana, is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Kanade replied emotionlessly.

Otonashi just stared at the walking girl, suspicious at her. 'That's nothing like "Nothing"'

* * *

-The Next Day-

"It has begun." Yuri said.

"What?"

"The rumor that Tenshi scored zeros across the board, and annoying the teachers."

"We went that far?" Otonashi asked.

"Seriously, what did you guys do?" Noda asked.

"Everything, from flying and hitting, even flying across the window." Hinata said calmly, not caring that he's the target of all that ruckus.

"But, shouldn't the teachers realized that it was someone's prank and not her real answer, right?" Otonashi asked.

"Didn't I tell you before? The teachers won't believe it, and it was like a reality: Tenshi made fun of the teachers. Therefore she would be called into the Teacher's office and scolded."

Otonashi's mind suddenly went back to the time where he met Kanade going out from the teacher's room. 'So that's what happened.'

"Didn't Tachibana try to explain?" Nishida now also intrudes, also not believing like Otonashi.

"Who knows? But it was all of the subjects. She might explain that she miscalculated on Math and Sciences, but what about the others? She'll find it hard for herself to explain to the rest of the teachers."

"On the teachers' perspective, it would be considered a lone rebellion." Hinata said.

The sentence somehow triggered Otonashi's mind. " _ _A lone rebellion…"__

* * *

The next few days, it was made known to all of the school. And so Tachibana stepped down from the Student Council President, and the Vice President Naoi stepped up as the new President.

"Hey, is she…"

"No, she didn't resign, but was discharged." a voice was heard from the back.

"Yurippe…"

"Now that Tenshi was demoted to common students like us. I wonder if she could stop us." Yuri grinned devilishly. "We'll set up an Operation Tornado tonight!"

Nishida, upon hearing this, also realized one thing.

 _ _This will be his first time acting as Diversion's spy unit.__

Or maybe is there something else...

* * *

 ** **A/N: Done it! Seriously I have blunted my writing skills due to business and my new addiction to Visual Novels.****

 ** **Oh, this is only my hypothesis, since I didn't read much Japanese. But if I'm not mistaken, in the AB Visual Novel: First Beat! Irie takes on Ooyama's place at the distraction, am I right? I wonder if that makes sense, really!****

 ** **Next chapter will cover the Operation Tornado (End of Episode 5), and a little bit of spoiler here: It might be a filler chapter, since in the anime it was only the concert and the cafetaria scene, so it might be too short if not added by the fillers (probably).****

 ** **Please R &R! And sorry if the next chapter will be delayed too. This Sunday, the Mathematics Competition will be taking its finals, and I have to be there as a committee again (although actually my role is only making the questions, but I might also have to act as the spectator of the competition, just like the NPC Teacher in this chapter XD.)****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	11. Rise of the Self-Proclaimed God

****A/N: Sorry for the Late Update! Anyway, not only I'm busy with Thesis and the Math Competition, the finals are coming up and it was a tough cookie to beat!****

 ** **Anyway, while writing this chapter, I also laid foundation for some future chapters, namely chapter 16 and chapter 21, since it would hold an important part for this story, and writing them was a challenge for myself.****

 ** **Anyway, this story will have approximately 22 chapters, and if possible, I planned to make a sequel for this story, but that's if I had the time for it.****

 ** **Anyway, replying to the review from Enilorac Eiram:****

 ** **Well, maybe at that time Otonashi only saw Kanade as someone who needed attention, I mean he tried to break into her life to satisfy his curiosity on her. But that's Otonashi and his big heart for you.****

 ** **I like your idea, let's see Hinata being flown away with the rocket chair, then make it slow motion and sing the song together; "Let it Go! Let it Go!"****

 ** **Don't worry, Naoi will soon appear, but maybe since my focus was on Nishida, then I won't write the full memory of him when he was alive on "that" scene, you know, that heartwarming moment.****

 ** **Thanks for the review and the support!****

 ** **Without further ado, here's the chapter!****

Chapter 11- Rise of the Self-Proclaimed God.

* * *

\- A few days prior-

"Yui, do you have a minute?"

A pink-haired girl was setting on her guitar a bit clumsily before someone called her. "Ah, Hisako- _ _senpai__ , what is it?"

"Actually, I remembered that Iwasawa had left a piece before her passing on. But unfortunately she hadn't got the time to write its lyrics. So, care to create it?"

"W...Wait, you mean I should write a lyric for Iwasawa- _ _senpai__ 's song? Is it really okay?" the pink-haired girl was obviously surprised.

Well, isn't that obvious? Yui had been admiring Iwasawa as her idol, and now she was given a chance to write lyrics for one of her song! It must have been an honor for her to do so.

"Well, we had no choice. To honor her, we decided to use her newest song." Hisako remarked with a nostalgic sad smile. Having lost her best friend had been tough for her, but nevertheless, she had to endure it, now with Iwasawa's substitute. "It depends on everyone's reaction, for "Thousand Enemies" and the second incarnation of GirlDeMo. So, what's your decision, Yui?"

"Alright then, I'll take it!"

* * *

-Present Day-

"I must say, your singing's a bit better despite the fact that you still missed a few notes." Hisako remarked. "If you kept getting better, we might do well tonight."

"Really? Yeay!" Yui exclaimed in astonishment.

"Although, well, that was according to myself as your colleague, but it would be more valid if we heard it from an audience, other than us." Sekine added.

"Right, the best reviews for us usually came objectively and not subjectively." Irie also added.

"In that case, why didn't we hear it right now?" Hisako smirked. "Did you know that actually we had a listener right now?"

"Hm? Really?" Yui exclaimed in confusion. "Isn't there only the four of us here?"

"Well, you're right, but who knows who listened outside right now?" Hisako replied, before looking at the windows. "Hey, purple-haired guy, don't you wanna enter?"

'P...Purple-haired guy?' Irie thought.

There are at least three people with purple hair that Irie knew, but out of those three, there's only two people who actually might be listening to them, the other one might prove to be impossible.

And from the two, Yuri might just barge in since she's the leader, but this guy just stayed outside for listening.

Of course, that leaves the last one that might very possibly listening to them.

As she realized, the guy turned the doorknob and entered the rehearsal room, a mock confusion was written on his face.

"So you knew I was outside." the purple-haired guy replied, of course mocking a surprise.

"Well, you can't underestimate me." Hisako replied. "So, are you here for Irie?"

"E...Eh..." The said lilac-haired girl immediately blush on the sudden sentence. "H...Hisako!"

"What if I say yes?" Nishida said, his face forming a smirk.

"Whaaaat?"

"Of course, not only Irie- _ _san__ , but also all of you. Because, well..."

"Yeah, I know. You're now "teaming up" with us as our supervisor." Hisako smirked by herself.

"Well, how do you know?"

"I said, don't underestimate me!" Hisako began to laugh. "Yeah, yeah, actually I was told by Yusa herself that you're going to be under her command and being chosen as our "supervisor", although I found it quite weird."

"Yeah, maybe "supervisor" might not be the correct word. But although you're a band yourself, I just can't declare myself as your "Manager", can I?"

"Given the circumstances, why not?" Sekine suddenly chirped, a smirk suddenly was visible on her face

"Hm?" Nishida was taken aback by the idea. "I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, I had never been too interested in music and bands, let alone managing a band."

"Come to think of it, Sekine might be into something." Hisako said, suddenly realizing Sekine's real intent. "She might imply that Nishida should join GirlDeMo, but since GirlDeMo is a band consisting of all girls, then the only way we could accept boys is by managerial issues."

"So, in other words, you wanted me to be a part of GirlDeMo instead of just a spy then?" Nishida asked, earning a nod from two of the members. The other two, well, one was looking downwards all the time, while the other was just listening intently, waiting for the moment to strike.

"All right then."

"Yeay!" Suddenly a certain pink-haired girl leapt in joy, "With this, Irie- _ _senpai__ will be more energetic than ever."

All of the members inside just had their mouths agape at the short-to-the-point exclamation from the pink-haired girl. But soon it was changed into a few types of reactions, ranging from a smirk to a certain blush and embarrassment.

"I...I hope y...you could blend with us well." Irie stuttered, absolutely embarrassed by the statement. "S...Should we continue our training then?"

" _ _Ara...__ Miyuki- _ _chi__ was lovestruck."

"Shut up, Shiorin!"

And the shenanigans continued for another hefty amount of time.

* * *

-Performance-

GirlDeMo members had stood in their positions on the stage. The curtains were still closed so the audience still can't see them. However, the sound of screaming audience could be heard even from the backstage.

.

"Looks like the audience were still enthusiastic as ever." Hisako said. "I bet Iwasawa would be proud of us if she saw this."

"Right, this is Iwasawa's song, although the lyrics are Yui's, after all." Sekine said

"Then let's do our best!" Yui exclaimed.

"Right, do your best, everybody!" Nishida exclaimed from the further backstage. "I'm going to raise the curtains now. Hit it!"

As Nishida operated the curtains, the group began to play the instruments.

"It's an honor for me to write the lyric for Iwasawa- _ _senpai__ 's song. Iwasawa- _ _senpai,__ wherever you are, I hope you could watch us." Yui whispered.

As they finished the intro, Yui began to sing:

 ** _ _ **Fukigen sou na kimi to sugoshita**__**

 ** _ _ **Wakatta koto ga hitotsu aru yo**__**

 ** _ _ **Sonna furishite tatakau koto ni hisshi**__**

 ** _ _ **Itsumademo kaenai de koori no you ni**__**

 ** _ _ **...**__**

* * *

-Meanwhile, outside the building-

"Hey, Hinata." Otonashi asked his friend as he patrolled across the second floor outside of the building.

"Yes?"

"Who exactly are we fighting with?"

"Yea, anyone who gets in our way."

"Who gets in our way?"

"If there's one, it'd be Tenshi, right?" Hinata calmly answered. "Or maybe that new acting Student Council President...who's his name...Naoi, I think?"

"Isn't he just a normal NPC? We can't shoot at him if that's the case."

"Well, I don't know, let's just keep guarding."

The group continued guarding the outside area, before Otonashi's HT began to signal.

"Otonashi- _ _san__ , report in!"

"No one suspicious has been spotted, reporting in."

"Alright, continue the guard. Nothing suspicious too inside..."

"Hey, Nishida, keep your voice down." Yusa's voice could also be heard on the line across the HT, making the certain red-head giggle a little.

"Seems like you've got a tough time with Yusa, huh?"

"Well, you nailed it." Nishida replied, now with a much softer tone. Seems like the status of ex-assassin didn't hamper Yusa's stern nature towards him.

All of a sudden, Otonashi spotted a petite figure walking towards the direction of the building they are guarding. "T...That's..."

"What? Did you see something?" Hinata rushed to Otonashi's side. Otonashi quickly pointed at the direction of the figure nearing them.

"T...That's Tenshi! What's she doing here?" Hinata gasped and prepared his weapon.

"No, don't!" Otonashi stopped his blue-haired friend from shooting. "Don't shoot at her!"

"What? Why?"

"There's something strange about her."

"Isn't she always strange from the beginning?"

"No, this time, she doesn't seem hostile, at least to me. I don't think she comes to counter us." Otonashi said as he scoped even further to the figure, which was none other than Kanade, the ex-SCP.

"Really?"

Without hesitating, Otonashi sprung a code towards his colleagues, prompting them not to attack the approaching archenemy of their Battlefront.

* * *

-Inside-

The emotionless-as-usual silver-haired girl continued to walk towards the performance area, her intentions seemed to be unknown.

Inside, it was Takamatsu who spotted her entering the building when he was scanning the area. Looking at his well-known enemy of the Battlefront, he quickly gasped and tried to reach his hand for his gun, which sadly wasn't on his pocket.

Drawn by panic, Takamatsu then gestured in panic to Yuri, who was on the lower corridor together with Yusa and Nishida. Yuri didn't notice it, but Nishida did.

"Em, Yuri _ _..."__

 _"_ Hm?"

"I think I saw Takamatsu calling for you."

Yuri then looked at the glasses-wearing, built-bodied guy moving his hands in such weird and embarrassing move. But it soon changes into a pointing finger towards a certain direction.

"T...That was Tenshi! What are the guys outside doing?" Yuri grumbled inaudibly, but audible enough for a certain purple-haired guy near her.

'I'm very sure that since Tachibana was able to go inside here, then either everyone outside was defeated, or Otonashi is stopping them from confronting her.' Nishida thought before taking out his HT. " _ _Nee,__ Otonashi- _ _san__."

"Hm?" Otonashi's voice was emitted from the other line.

"Are you guys outside okay? No one's been hurt, right?" Nishida asked.

"Er...no? Why?"

" _ _Yokatta...__ " Nishida sighed in relief, although with that, he knew what's going on. 'Of course, number 2 then. Otonashi was surely a bit protective to Tachibana, so this kind of condition is not impossible.'

Nishida continued to observe Tenshi along with Yuri and Yusa. Apparently Yuri was going to shoot at Tenshi, but somehow she restrained herself to do so.

Under the supervision from the Battlefront, which didn't even resulting in any response from herself, Tenshi continued her walk. Yuri was having her pistol ready in case she went for the stage. Nishida didn't do the same because of the freezing stare from a certain blonde, but continued to watch Tenshi's movement.

Apparently, Tenshi didn't go to the stage or the front area as the Battlefront leader thought. Instead, Tenshi was walking onto the food coupon vending machine.

"Hmm..." Yuri looked more closer on what Tenshi was doing. Soon enough, it was turned into a dazzling shock as she registered on the coupon Tenshi was buying.

'That was Szechuan Tofu! The legendary meal which was known for its spiciness that no students ever wanted to buy! Is she going to enact revenge on us by forcing us to eat that?'

"...ppe..."

"If that coupon ever ended in my hands, what should I do. Even I can't stand those load of __capsaicin__ on my tongue."

"Yurippe!" A stoic yet calm voice could be heard from beside Yuri. She turned to see that Yusa was calling her."The show was on its apex."

Yuri's mind was still occupied with the silver-haired girl's activities that she didn't register on what she should do.

"Your orders, Yurippe?"

Yurippe got up from her daze and decided on her decision. "Alright, turn it on now!"

And, like the usual Operation Tornado, the giant fans were switched on, sending a tremendous gust of wind blowing through, sending all food tickets flying towards the Battlefront members, enough for at least two or three weeks per person.

All tickets were blown away, not excluding the "cursed" Szechuan Tofu ticket that Tenshi had bought, it was sent flying, and you all knew where the ticket found its destination.

* * *

-Cafetaria-

All the Battlefront members sat in the cafetaria, indulging themselves together with the food they obtained from the operation.

On one of the tables, Otonashi sat down with a dish whose color was entirely red and white with a hint of brown. Its redness looked so fiery that it might intimidate the ones who tried to take a bite.

"Whoa, that was the legendary Szechuan Tofu. Can't believe you got one on those." Hinata said as he took his dish and sat on the seat to the left of Otonashi.

"What makes it legendary?"

"It was known for its spiciness that one can't even eat one without milk or bread to lessen the effect. How did you get one on those?"

"Dunno, I just took one blown ticket and it turned out to be this." Otonashi said. "Maybe one of the NPCs bought this."

Apparently they heard another set of footsteps approaching them. Those footsteps belonged to none other than their close colleague, with another set of food on the tray he held.

"Niku ramen, huh? Seems like you got lucky on the coupon taking." Hinata said.

"Well, it's just, I got a large variety of food coupons. And I just took one out at random." Nishida replied.

"Oh, but maybe none of your coupons are written for Otonashi's dish right there."

Nishida then looked at the plate (or a bowl) in front of Otonashi. "Hmm...I had never seen one of that. But it looks...hot."

"Of course, the legendary spicy "Szechuan Tofu"...a very rare dish because almost no one wanted to buy that due to its extreme spiciness. Why don't you try a bite, Otonashi?"

Otonashi took a spoonful of the legendary dish, and after putting a bite, the spiciness immediately surprised him, sending his face red and sweat covering his face. His tongue was of course in pain.

"W...Whoa..."

"See? I've told you."

"But, it's delicious." Otonashi said. "Hinata, Nishida, you should try some!"

Hinata and Nishida took themselves a spoon each. And their reaction varies very differently. Hinata showed the same symptoms as Otonashi, even suffered more than Otonashi himself, while Nishida still look quite composed, although his lips became a bit redder and sweat covered his face.

"Like you said, it was delicious, although the spiciness was quite strong." Nishida said as he took a glass of water.

"Too strong! My mouth's gonna emit fire!" Hinata said. "But, the aftertaste of it...it was deep and warming."

"I told you so."

"That was the dish from the ticket Tenshi bought." Suddenly Yuri approached them onto the table, and sat across Otonashi's table. "Tenshi bought that ticket on our last Operation Tornado. I confirmed it myself."

'This is...' Otonashi frowned at his realization. 'So she did came to the operation only for this? And I took that simple happiness from her...'

"Hey, Otonashi, something's on your mind?" Nishida whispered.

"Well, I just thought of something." Otonashi said. "If this condition continues, wouldn't she become our ally?"

"Whaaaat?" Fujimaki, who sat behind him suddenly looked at him, shocked at the revelation. "Do you know how much of us had fallen victim to her...err...wait a sec...we're all okay. But, do you know how much pain she had inflicted to us all the time?"

"Right. It may look like she had been nice, but who knows if one day she'll go against us again?" A Battlefront member was joining in."

"She might have slit our throats when we sleep!"

"That's quite hyperbolic, but I guess, it wasn't your best idea." Hinata said.

Otonashi just smiled wryly, consealing the sudden sadness emerging from himself. 'Why do I come up with such a ridiculous proposition?'

"Maybe, Otonashi- _ _san__ , just maybe, there will be a way. I didn't see Kanade as a threat for myself individually, so I didn't resent your idea. It's just, it probably wasn't at the right time and place."

'Glad to find one with a similar thought.' Otonashi thought. 'But, if you only knew that my concern here is not only Kanade, but also you, Nishida...'

" _ _A...Ano..."__

A very feminine voice reached Otonashi's ear, although when he looked at the source, the call was not for him, but for the person beside him.

"Nishida, somebody's calling you on your right."

Nishida turned his face to the right to see none other than the shy drummer of GirlDeMo. Beside her was a grinning blonde.

"Oh, Irie- _ _san__ , I didn't recognize you before, sorry."

"I...It's okay, Nishida- _ _san__." Irie replied shyly. "S...Shiorin had set our seats up so I ended up sitting next to you."

'Nice prank, Sekine- _ _san__...' Otonashi thought as he heard the talk.

"Anyway, why are you calling for me?"

" _ _A...Ano__...I was taking too much green onions for my food, so probably I might gave you some too, since you've got Udon, it might be a perfect match."

"Oh, it seemed like I forgot to get some, so...thanks Irie- _ _san__." Nishida replied with a smile, causing the lilac-haired girl to blush instantly and the blonde next to her smirking.

However, Otonashi saw something a bit strange as he looked at Irie's plate. It was filled with __yakisoba__ , in which they didn't use fresh green onions as garnish, but it was cooked together with the noodles. However, the green onions given by Irie to his purple-haired friend was very fresh, like it was for garnish.

'Rather than taking too much, it merely looks like Irie's purposely taking green onions for Nishida instead for herself.' Otonashi thought, before suddenly a realization came to his mind.

'This is...'

* * *

The rest of the dining was filled with joy, until suddenly the group were ganged up by a group of NPC, which looked like coming from the Student Council, and of course, with the one leading was a young man wearing all dark clothes and a dark hat. His golden eyes pierced the entire group with disciplinary and intimidating look.

"Round them up and take them to the detention room!"

* * *

 ** **A/N: Yeah, finally after finding a suitable time and advancing a few on my thesis, I managed to complete this chapter!****

 ** **Yeah, a little setup: Instead of 4-seat table set made from two little tables, Otonashi and the gang sat at 10-to-12-seat table set instead in this story.****

 ** **The last realization from Otonashi, it was easy to guess what it is about, right?****

 ** **Anyway, the finals are coming and the Thesis first-step deadline is approaching. Although I finished one important part of the Thesis (not the Introduction, of course!), I could be as busy as usual, but on the other side of the coin, I could find a better time to update a bit easier.****

 ** **The next chapter will be onto the Episode 6 of the Anime, and it will be the last part before we stray a bit far from the anime (Maybe you can count it as Episode 6.5 or 7.5 made by me myself, but I think we can't say like that because it wouldn't involve much of the Battlefront.).****

 ** **Anyway, I planned to make a sequel for this story, and it was decided that it would be a crossover, but it was put not in the crossover list since it contributes not too much from the main category. The title will be "Sticks and Guns", and the format will be an after-story adventure just like author Enilorac Eiram with the story "Heartbreak Cure" (try to read it since it was a story much better than mine). Prologue will be posted ASAP, but updates will be very slow since I don't want to spoil too much of this story because of it.****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you!****


	12. Your Life is the Real Thing

****Hello everyone! Kage here!****

 ** **Actually this should've been posted 2 days ago. But due to some inconvenience, it was delayed, but I'm grateful that FanFiction support team had resolved the inconvenience. Thanks Sir/Madam!  
****

 ** **Sorry if this is late, but Merry Christmas Everybody!****

 ** **Sorry for the long gap. I've recently finished my finals and I sprinted out on my Thesis, advancing my progress from roughly 20% to about 42%, that took most of my stamina and ideas away, so sorry for the inconvenience.****

 ** **Thanks for author Enilorac Eiram for the review. It looks like you were quite the one who can easily find out a solution to a mystery, like Otonashi's realization, although actually it was a bit deeper than that, but seems like it's almost spot on!****

 ** **Yeah, they sat on a longer table, of course, and Nishida's reaction to the Szechuan Tofu, it might be the second, since he did say : The spiciness is quite strong, meaning he also almost couldn't take it.****

 ** **Here's the new chapter!****

Chapter 12- Your Life is the Real Thing

* * *

-A few moments later, Detention Room-

"Hah, finally they let us out..." Hinata sighed in relief. "Being cramped in that tight space surely takes the stamina out of you."

The Battlefront exited the Detention Room and made their way towards their headquarters.

"So, Tenshi's downfall didn't turn this world into paradise." Takamatsu said.

"It was probably even worse, that acting Student Council President."

"Should we do what we do to Tenshi before?" Noda chimed in.

"Nah, he's an NPC, so we can't."

"So, what should we do, Yurippe?" Matsushita asked.

Yurippe was thinking of an answer, before suddenly a certain child-like member of the group took her place in answering.

"Should we seduce him?"

No one bats an eye on the response, except a certain blue-haired guy who looks pitifully annoyed by the girl.

"Seduce? What part of you is seductive?"

This quickly triggers the pink-haired girl's reaction.

"What? Do you doubt me?"

"Seeing you on your clothes is enough."

"You doubt this natural softness, this natural beauty..." Yui ranted as she held her own chest like a seducer.

"Who do you think I am..."

"Quiet, you guys." Yuri stopped the bickering with her own scowl. "For now, let's just continue to do what you can as usual. I'll be thinking of a plan."

* * *

-Class-

The class' condition was something like usual, except some people inside were not following a student procedure at all.

Here is the list of the unusual moments:

1\. One certain purple-haired guy was sleeping on another student's table.

2\. One table was encircled with four people, and on the table was a set of Mahjong tiles.

3\. One person decided to take on some chips on the class.

4\. One person keep going to the toilet every single minute, and

5\. One person's table was empty.

It goes for roughly half-a-schedule time, before this event occur:

"Sir, I'm going to go to the toilet!" A certain pink-haired girl had asked for permission to the toilet for an umpteenth time, and proceeded to the door.

However, as she did, she accidentally bumped onto a certain Student Council President,along with two of his "bodyguards", who entered the room in a stern face.

"You're not going anywhere." the SCP Naoi stopped Yui on her tracks.

As he said that, the ones around the Mahjong Table decided to flee from the classroom through the window, and the person eating some chips just hid the chips below his table.

So because of that, there's only two unusual quirk left in the classroom, and Naoi decided to confront the first one.

"Ahem, so what are you doing here? Haven't you reflected on your mistakes in the detention room yet?"

Suddenly the guy woke up and took his halberd. "Who are you to control my movements! You had no right to restrain us you piece of ****" Noda replied as he thrust his halberd on a threatening motion, only to find out that the motion was indeed wrongly-addressed, and it caused the "victim" to scream.

"Eh?"

"For breaking the school rules by sleeping on other student's table, and to threaten innocent people, you'll be under my arrest, and I'll be taking you so you can reflect on your mistakes. Guys,..."

"Hmph, like you will..."

Noda incessantly tried to swing his halberd towards Naoi, only to be stopped on the track by both Otonashi and Hinata.

"You Idiot, you're taking it too far!"

Naoi just watched the entire scene with a stern face.

His eyes were than fixated to the empty table at the back of the class.

"Hmm...I know where this guy may be..."

* * *

-Under the Bridge-

A certain purple-haired guy was wielding his 9mm on his hand. Across him was now several cans and bottles as a training dummy. The guy managed to empty his clip with some bottles still intact.

"Damn, I'm not feeling well today. Is this because of that new-acting Student Council President? Who's his name, Yaoi or something?"

"What is because of me? And my name's Naoi, not Yaoi." suddenly the said person came, along with a few more of his bodyguards.

"What do you want? Aren't you supposed to join the class with the others?"

"I'm on my patrol duty so I'm excused." Naoi said. "And for calling me bad names and today's truancy, I'm also taking you for reflecting on your mistakes.

"Not on my schedule..." Nishida said as he pointed the gun at the SCP, only for Naoi's bodyguards to do the same.

"Hm, aren't they NPCs? And since when they could bring guns to the school too?"

"That's the story for the other day. And since you rebelled against me, then..."

Naoi and the guards shot Nishida a few times, and a bunch of the bullets went onto the purple-haired guy's abdomen, sending him sprawled to the ground.

"You're...not...an NPC, Naoi. You're...manipulating them."

"That's because..." Naoi paused as he saw Nishida went unconscious. "Hmph, no matter, bring him to the "dump area", and continue the patrol."

The guards did as told.

"An assassin can't defy me, because I'm..."

* * *

-Cafe-

Otonashi and, surprisingly, Kanade was in the cafetaria. Apparently Otonashi had asked Kanade to join him on eating some food, more specifically the well-known Szechuan Tofu. Since Kanade was horribly infatuated with the food, then she just accepted the offer despite the fact that it was still study time.

The two of them just exchange some talk, before somebody with a group of NPCs approached them.

"Hoo, if it isn't the ex-SCP who rebelled against the teachers, along with another delinquent." Naoi smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be in class for another subject right now?"

"Y...You..."

"Tachibana- _ _san__ , I'm utterly disappointed in your rebellion here. Now you're showing more of a delinquent side." Naoi said a bit sternly. "Take both of them to the solitude dungeon!"

"S...Solitude? That's not right..."

However Otonashi couldn't finish the sentence, or rather not finishing the sentence as Kanade and he was dragged onto the Solitude Dungeon.

* * *

-A few hours later, Solitude Dungeon-

"Otonashi- _ _kun__ , Otonashi- _ _kun__!" Apparently a radio-transmitted voice could be heard from somewhere. As he heard, Otonashi quickly tried to find the source, and remembered that Yuri had given him some kind of radio transmitter.

"Yuri, you there?"

"You're our last hope. I know very well that Tenshi is with you, am I right?"

Otonashi's face turned onto the silver/white-haired girl on the corner of the dungeon, peacefully sleeping.

"Then you need to hurry, and I'm going to give you instruction only once, so listen carefully." the voice belonged to Yuri at the radio told him.

"It turns out that Ayato Naoi is not an NPC. He's a human, just like us. To us, he looked like an NPC with that dignity of an SCP and their excuse of discipline. But unknown to us, he actually had beaten up NPC's on the rooftop, and now had been coming for us. Nishida's already fallen, and so do a lot of our colleagues, we're going to be wiped out. We can only rely on you now. Please go to the running ground, and bring Tenshi with you, this is utterly important!"

As she finished, a bunch of sound like someone's been shot already rang towards Otonashi's ears, resulting in a conclusion that the situation is dire.

"Darn it... And I didn't know how to get out of he...wait a minute..."

Otonashi remembered what Kanade had tried to do on the dungeon before. It was a kind of experiment to destroy the door with the four versions of "Hand Sonic" designated only for Kanade to use. It was futile, however, since it resulted in nothing.

However, this time Otonashi got some idea, but of course, it needed someone who got the ability to carry out that idea.

"Tachibana! Wake up! Wake up!"

After a little "struggle" of "waking up the Angel", Kanade finally woke up. "What is it?"

"I want you to do something for me."

-Some minutes later-

"Ready, Tachibana?"

Kanade nodded and readied her blade. "Hand Sonic-Version 2!"

Kanade's right arm formed a thin blade. However, instead of slashing the door, it now seeps onto the little gap at the door.

"Version 3!"

It was now becoming larger and thinner, as it seeps more naturally onto the gap. And finally,

"Version 4!"

Since it was the version of getting the edge onto a flower-shape, the seeping blade forced itself to change its form to that shape, resulting in the door being forcefully slid off roughly onto its destruction.

"Now, Tachibana, follow me!"

* * *

-Running Field-

"W...What's happening..."

In front of Otonashi was a pile of "corpse" in SSS uniforms. Clearly those are Battlefront members who had been beaten down by someone.

That someone...could be seen right at the middle of the pile, along with gunned NPC's. It was no doubt that he was the culprit of all of this.

Under his foot was one of the important member of the Battlefront. His blue hair was the most reassuring part. There are no other Battlefront member with that bright kind of blue hair.

Then the culprit just left to the other corpses, sneering all the way.

"Hinata!" Otonashi quickly ran towards the bloodied, beaten body of one of his closest colleagues. As he approached him, he saw that Hinata was in a very bad condition, meaning that the culprit didn't even spare him mercy.

"Ah...Otonashi...to actually come for me of any other Battlefront members, even more than Nishida...you must be hitting on me..."

"This is no time for jokes!" Otonashi said.

Amongst the other pile, a few feet next to Hinata's beaten body was another one with dark purple hair. Hearing Otonashi had come gave him a little feeling of relief, but to hear that joke...

'Do not compare yourself with me...and you just showed me another proof that you are gay...Dammit!'

On Otonashi's back, someone was walking forward through the rain. Her petite body looked vulnerable of imbalance. Looking at her, Naoi just smirked.

"Hm...how do you escape?"

"I destroyed the door."

"Do you know how many years they spend to build those? As the Student Council President, I order you to quietly return to your cell..."

"Tachibana, look around you now...as the ex-Student Council President, you know this is wrong."

Kanade just nodded. She spread her right hand and summoned a blade from it. "Hand Sonic-Version 1".

"Hoo, you want to defy me, the God?"

Kanade flinched. Otonashi and Hinata just looked at him in shock...well, the first one in disgust too, actually.

"You don't get it, I'm God!"

"He's insane, everyone knew it..." Hinata grumbled.

"To declare that after doing all this...That's obviously not a role of a good person...if not ridiculous." Otonashi said.

"So, none of you had realized that this world chooses its God?" Naoi countered them, before preparing himself for an explanation:

"We all had memories of being alive. We all had terrible lives, correct?"

"Sure, then why?"

"It's because of those that we can have the right to become God. It is because we know the pain of living that we have earned this right. And I've finally reached that stage"

'If that's your explanation, then there might be multiple Gods in this world...or maybe you realized and decided to stop those who almost reached that stage...' Nishida thought while keeping himself mocking unconsciousness.

"So you become God, then what would you do?"

"I'll grant peace."

'Yeah, by killing people...you're granting peace by being a tyrant yourself...how foolish...' Nishida thought again, this time imitating Shiina's thought.

"What, to us?" Hinata countered.

"You're just slaughtering people!" Otonashi added.

"Only because they resisted me." Naoi chuckled. "You all obtained souls with the right to become God. But you still suffer from the memories of your past life. A God has been decided, and allow me to grant peace to you all."

With an evil grin, he walked and stopped in front of a magenta-haired girl with the Battlefront uniform. No Battlefront members didn't recognize her, or they might receive severe punishment for doing so..."

"Yuri!"

Naoi grabbed Yuri by her hair, startling the magenta-haired girl in instant

"What more are you going to do?" Otonashi said as he ran towards Naoi, only to be stopped by a circle of NPCs surrounding them, guns on their hands.

"W...What...do you want?" Yuri replied in severe annoyance.

"I'm going...to let you rest in peace." Naoi replied, smirking. "You did remember Masami Iwasawa, didn't you?"

"!" Everyone of the Battlefront (which is still conscious) flinched upon hearing that name, that included the leader herself.

"At the previous life, she lost her voice and her dream of singing. Brought up in the horrible family environment, she met a pitiful end. But she was able to fulfill her dream here, that's why she disappeared. She was able to rest in peace." Naoi smirked and ended his explanation.

Hinata's angry look began to waver, while Otonashi was the opposite.

"Now, I'll grant you peace so you can rest in it..." Naoi said as he grabbed Yuri's body. "It would be a wonderful dream."

"You knew nothing of my past!"

"It doesn't matter if I don't know."

"!"

"All this time I had spent planning wasn't just to build a cage for Tenshi, but also: I gained Hypnotism."

'Hypnotism...'

Suddenly Nishida's mind formed an idea. "We can't hurt the NPC here, yes we know. But I can use this...just like he had used once. But..."

Nishida's head turned onto Otonashi, seeing his look of determination. 'If Otonashi made the move, then I don't have to kill anybody, that's for sure, so let's go with this plan.

"Now, close your eyes, you're going to have a wonderful dream."

Yuri's eyelids became extremely heavy for a reason.

" _ _Ma...Masaka! Kore wa..."__

 _ _-Dreamscape-__

-Yuri's PoV-

 _ _As I struggled, I suddenly found myself in an area filled with white. Nothing was visible around me, absolutely nothing. I wonder, where am I__

 _ _Just then, I turned and saw three very familiar people standing right in front of me, three people I had very close connection with.__

 _ _No...this isn't right, they are...__

 _ _I began to tear up and scream in agony. This is absolutely not real, this is not possible. They...they...__

 _ _I don't want to say it.__

 _ _But I...have to...__

 _ _You all should've been killed one by one, I can't protect you.__

 _ _My vision changes very rapidly, from three healthy children in front of me, to three coffins signaling their deaths.__

 _ _Those visions stayed changing, it won't stop.__

 _"_ _ _You know what, I'm glad you're my sister, Onee-chan!"__

 _"_ _ _Yamete! Stop it! This is unmistakably not real!__

 _ _They kept praising me!__

 _"_ _ _DAME DE!"__

 _ _-End Dreamscape-__

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

-A few seconds backwards.-

It's very obvious that Otonashi was extremely enraged, and I knew from his stance that he decided to move, so I "acted" trying to get up and faced him.

"If you want to stop him, then do it. I'll take care of the NPC's..."

"Nishida...how? And you can't..."

"No, I won't hurt them, I'll just use the same method that excuse of a God used."

"Y...You mean hypnotism?"

"Er...not that, but it's close, I knew I can do this. As for you, show him who's boss!"

Otonashi nodded as he prepared himself to run. Meanwhile I just put a stance.

* * *

-3rd person PoV-

" _ _DAME DE (STOP IT!)"__

Otonashi quickly punched the "self-declared God", making him sprawl to the ground and prevented the hypnotism from taking effect.

"Why, you... Servants, why are you standing..."

"Who are you talking to?"

Naoi turned to see Nishida standing on a few feet near him, next to him was a pile of unconscious NPCs.

"H...How could you still stand? And shouldn't you be unable to hurt the NPC's?

"First, I didn't hurt them. I just used the same way you hypnotized them to be your servants."

* * *

-Flashback-

'This is going to be hard for me, but in this case, for Yuri's sake, and for Otonashi's safety, also for my friends, I guess I have no choice.'

'Assassin Forbidden Technique: Quick Gather!'

Nishida leapt very quickly and extended both of his arms sideways, and began to run in a non-human speed towards the gunned NPCs, gathering them all with part of Nishida's arms on their stomachs. He received a bullet or two on his body, but the gunshot was unheard by Naoi since he was on his hypnotism duty.

"How foolish of you guys to bow before a corrupted God. Is he the "Good Person" you're trying to model?"

Nishida just stared at them, one by one, sending shocks through the same technique he used against the NPC teachers, sending them unconscious one-by-one.

"That should do it..."

-End Flashback-

* * *

"Darn it...I knew he got that power inside him, but I still slipped through it." Naoi mumbled.

"And second, those bullets your "servants" threw me are no use against a prepared assassin. You have to prepare yourself better." Nishida said as he took off his jacket.

"A bulletproof armor...I should've ordered them to shoot him in the head, instead."

"Now, Otonashi..."

"Hmph, even so... you have nothing to stand against me, the Go..."

Naoi couldn't continue as he realized his collar was grabbed by the enraged, red-haired Battlefront member.

"If you think replacing our dreams with fakes was a duty of God, then you're absolutely wrong, you hear me?" Otonashi screamed, getting attention from Yuri, Nishida, Hinata, Kanade, and of course, Naoi himself.

"If you say that you're God, then you know that the duty of him is to give us a real life. And we have lived those lives as a real thing! They weren't a lie! They were our real lives!"

'O...Otonashi- _ _san__." Nishida watched the commotion in admiration.

"We have lived our lives in the earnest, that's how this memories were carved into us, the memories of living as best as we could. No matter what kind of life we have, those were still our lives! You can't just slap another coat of paint over them!"

"Even...my life?"

"Even your life is the real thing!"

That alone triggered a certain person's memory...

 ** **(I'll skip the memory sequence since you can just watch it in the anime XD).****

"So, if only I was dead and not my brother, that would be much better..."

"Even so, it was your work, the one who worked hard is you, am I right?" Otonashi screamed onto the fallen SCP, now began to tightly hug the said boy.

"You don't know anything."

"I understand, because you're here right now."

"Well then, will you accept someone like me?" Naoi asked.

"Who else will I accept, other than the one in my arms now?" Otonashi replied, still screaming as if showing concern to the SCP's horrible past life.

-Memory-

 _ _Two little boys tried to take an unripe persimmon. They tried their best, and eventually the younger boy got to reach it first.__

 _"_ _ _Yeah, I beat Nii-san!"__

 _ _But somehow his footing was going weak, and he unfortunately fell from the tree, and was approached from behind by his father.__

 _"_ _ _Why getting so excited on winning an unripe persimmon?" The man said. "Still, well done, Ayato."__

 _ _-__ End Memory, Naoi's PoV-

 _ _That's the sentence I really wanted to hear, I wanted to be recognized.__

"So then, welcome to the club?" Nishida asked, his voice was surprisingly weak, but still forced a smile. However it can't last long, as the two hugging guys faced him, the purple-haired guy fell forward, slumped unconsciously.

"Nishida!"

 ** **A/N:That ends the chapter! This surely takes time since I was actually on vacation with my family when I wrote the last parts of this. Anyhow, I only had a few months left to finish my Thesis, so I must be more focused on that, but I'll try to find a better time to finish this story, and also Sticks and Guns, and (if possibly) another sequel or side-story.****

 ** **Next chapter will be covering the first part of Episode 7. However, instead of Otonashi's view, it would be on Nishida's view, so don't blame me if there's something that didn't exist on the anime that I wrote there, and if it stray very far away from the anime. This is a fanfic after all, not a retelling of Angel Beats!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics will be appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank you!****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	13. Kioku to Kanjou

****A/N: Happy New Year 2018, Everybody!****

 ** **Today, for commemorating the first day of the New Year, I'm going to post one more chapter as the first chapter of the day. This chapter actually should have been posted on the 4th of January if I followed my 7-25 day rule, but since I've got time because of the New Year Holiday, I managed to finish the chap today. Although, I'm sorry if this chapter is quite the crap.****

 ** **This chapter takes place on the first part of Episode 7: The episode where Otonashi recovers part of his memory. You could watch about it in the anime since I won't tell about it here in the chapter.****

 ** **Thanks for author Enilorac Eiram for the review! Yeah, don't worry, he's okay! Too bad he's still quite the oblivious. But I'll be telling him about Irie's concern next time!****

 ** **Here's the next chapter!****

Chapter 13- Kioku to Kanjou (Memories and Feelings)

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

 _ _I was running around the park in the afternoon, on my usual running routine as a member of an Ijuin Assassin. This time, I've got the honor to run together with my main leader, Kakudo Ijuin.__

 _ _As we ran around the park, I can't help but to look at the interior of the park, or I mean the center of the park, where you can see a lot of different activities going on.__

 _ _There, stood a bunch of kids' playground stuffs, like a slide, see-saw, and many other things. Near them, a bit exterior from that area is a bunch of benches for some leisure. All of those stuffs, well, had been filled with numerous people, using them like how they are. The kids are playing there, with their mothers/fathers usually on the benches.__

 _ _Or maybe not...__

 _ _Interestingly, the benches were filled with something a bit different than what I usually think. Usually I think the benches are for older people who wanted to spend their activity-less afternoon. This time, however, they were filled with much younger inhabitants, more precisely, two young inhabitants on one bench, one male, one female, chattering with their hands connected, or sleeping with their heads on the other's shoulder.__

 _ _I forgot, today is Saturday afternoon. Usually at this time, a lot of young people found their way to the park, along with their "koibito (boyfriend/girlfriend)" or sometimes "kokoro no tomo (soulmate)", spending their time together, as in a couple. They might've been in my age or only a few years older, or maybe some are a few years younger, if I had to guess.__

 _ _Of course, as an assassin, I never had the time for things like that, or maybe that's the ethic of an assassin, not to love anyone as he/she might hurt them with his/her death.__

 _"_ _ _Something's on your mind, Nishida?" Suddenly a voice reached my right ear. Of course it was none other than my great leader.__

 _"_ _ _Err...nothing..."__

 _"_ _ _Really? 'cause you're been slowing down lately and your eyes were fixed on a certain spot. I had to reduce my running speed so you could keep up with me, that's quite unusual for the Nishida I know." the Ijuin leader replied.__

 _"_ _ _G...Gomen...Ijuin-sama..."__

 _"_ _ _I think it's already more than ten times I told you, just call me by Kakudo or something like that, calling me with my family name and with that "-sama" makes me feel kinda old." he joked.__

 _ _That's Kakudo Ijuin for you, even with those authority and respect he earned, he was still as outgoing and humble as ever.__

 _"_ _ _Anyway, this is just a random thought I bring up, but since your eyes were fixated on that spot before, maybe can I ask you something?"__

 _"_ _ _S...Sure. What is it that you want to know about?"__

 _"_ _ _Have you considered having a girlfriend of some sort?"__

 _ _I tense up...that's something an assassin leader shouldn't have asked, should he?__

 _"_ _ _I was joking. I know I had ever warned you at our first meeting that you can't possibly fall in love or some sort, and I know you are one that is always sticking on rules. That's one reason why I favored you as one of my best assassin."__

 _ _I listened very carefully on every words he said__

 _"_ _ _You know, I used to break that when I was younger, and so do a lot of my colleagues back then."__

 _ _Well, that was a bit unexpected...__

 _"_ _ _That being said, a lot of us ended in our demise just because of the fact that they value their partner more than the task itself, and they ended up falling into traps, into temptations and many more. I was the lucky one to survive, and due to that I made that restriction, I know that's something of an egoist, but I can't help it. I don't want to lose my precious underlings, my friends, like my colleagues back then anymore."__

 _ _So, the reason why Ijuin-sama wanted to force us not to fall in love is because of our own safety. He just didn't want us to suffer the same fate as his colleagues back then.__

 _"_ _ _Ah, I'm sorry if I forced you to listen to a boring story."__

 _"_ _ _Uh,no, it's okay." I replied.__

 _"_ _ _Then, what about you? I know you didn't break this rule until now, but what about the time on your younger days? First time I found you, you were already on your middle-teenager-age, around 15 or so? And I checked your data that you're abducted just one year before, so you must've been on your early teenage days back then. I could imagine you sitting there, with someone you love..."__

 _"_ _ _Uh, I guess I have never had any girlfriends before, although..."__

 _ _My thought somehow was blurring...there's a very shady figure occupying my sight, it somehow substituted the place where Kakudo stood.__

 _ _But it was never solidified, because as I thought the figure would be clear, I have my vision also blurs more and more, like I was teleported somewhere away.__

 _ _-__ Afterlife-

I slowly felt very weak, and I found myself facing a faint reddish light covering my eyes, and I finally noticed that I have my eyelids shut.

I was sleeping?

Slowly, I opened my eyes and was greeted by a blinding light of a lamp, and faint pink color. It takes a mere seconds so I can finally clear my vision, and made out everything clear. I was right, the blinding light is a lamp, but the faint color is actually curtains.

Wait, since when I have pink curtains?

I looked around and I saw all sides were filled with curtains, except the one near my feet, which was hollow. But I could see that it was a gap made from opened curtains.

This is not a bedroom, judging from the curtains. And the only place I could make out just from these pink curtains are...

"Ah, you're awake..."

I heard the voice and slowly put myself in a sitting position, and found out that two people had been waiting for me in the infirmary...yes, I'm in the infirmary, for the ones who still didn't find out.

The first one was a guy with reddish brown hair, and the other is a girl with purple hair. Ah, this kind of setting really reminds me of a certain time when I'm being a castaway on this "unknown island".

"Otonashi- _ _san__ , Yurippe..."

"I never remembered you calling me Yurippe before. I never thought Hinata already put that nickname on your head."

"Well, I never said that Hinata did."

"But he did, didn't he?"

"Well, you nailed it on that one." I chuckled. "So, any operation being planned this time?"

"I was planning on some with Yusa and the others. For now just do what you want." Yuri said as she left the infirmary.

"She's arrogant, at least according to me."

"But those arrogance was actually needed for this kind of group, especially with our friends who are very loyal to her." Otonashi chimed in.

"I guess so. Anyway, have you got any activities for this time?"

"No, why?"

"Since Yuri said that I could do anything I want, then I'll be doing my usual training."

"Let me guess, another shooting practice under the bridge?" Otonashi said.

"You already know me so well." Nishida said. "So, wanna join?"

"I think I'll pass for today." Otonashi asked, before reaching something from his pocket. "Oh, Yuri left me this, she said that I should give it to you when I had the chance."

I reacted to his voice and looked at his hands. It was holding something quite dangerous to be put on a pocket without any safety. One of my favorite items in this world (and in the other worlds I know):

A pistol.

More specifically, this time I was given an ES 5.7. This time it was not a silenced pistol, but of course Yuri gave me one for myself, although I guess a 5.7's firing sound is already not too loud so I could try it without silencer.

But I won't be called __Shizu no Suraisa__ if I don't...so I'll just get on with it.

-Under the Bridge-

"Clang! Clang!"

One by one I accurately shot the can "dummies" put on a usual distance. This time I managed not to miss any of the targets, a 100% accuracy, to call it by another name.

Well, I won't boast myself that "I trained everyday" or any of those crap, well, partly yes for that reason, but there's another reason for this: I'm using a 5.7, a pistol known for it's extremely accurate pistol, even on a long range, although its damage was one horrible fact to cite.

So, well, this time I got a handicap on my targets.

However, a 100% accuracy sometimes had its negative side. Not missing any targets could also bring another problem: Boredom.

Usually when one reaches that achievement, then if he/she already got that multiple times, then he/she would be bored to repeat the same. It was not exceptional for me too, so you can conclude how I feel.

Maybe I should find a longer-range field to practice.

And so I began to wander across the "Afterlife World", from the classes, fields, the forests or the mountains, not knowing that actually I'm about to encounter a place I never realize will exist in this world.

-Otonashi's PoV-

I silently walked towards the Battlefront HQ, having nothing to do, I might as well just go for having some fun (if any) there.

As I approached the HQ door, I heard an interesting speech from outside.

" _ _Senpai! Let me try a new move to you. It's called "Toughen up in 120 hours!..."__

 _ _...__

 _"_ _ _Fine then, I'll ask Ooyama-senpai"__

That voice, of course it was none other than that pink-haired energetic girl everyone knows.

 _"_ _ _Seriously, is this Battlefront an elementary school? We keep receiving more and more brats."__

 _"_ _ _Hmph! Are you talking about me? I'm God."__

 _ _Mattaku...__ here we go again...

 _"_ _ _Huh? You're still saying that, after bawling in Otonashi's arms?"__

 _"_ _ _You're the one who's going to cry..."__

Grrr...not again...

 _"_ _ _Here, feel the greatness of clothespins. Realize how worthless of you comparing to clothespins."__

Then, I heard a sound of something being thrown onto a table, so I entered the room and I saw...a clothespin...

My eyes then darted to my blue-haired friend, which is now showing a very shocked or scared face.

"C...Clothespins? They could hold clothes, they could hold it and it won't fall! Your clothes won't get dirty! Aaaahhh...it can also be a substitute to paperclips. Comparing to them, WHAT AM I? *sniff* *sniff* Waaaaahhhh! I'm not good to anything at all!"

This kind of stuff is intolerable, so I just approached the one smirking next to him and took him by his back collar.

"Hey! Do not use hypnotism for revenge!"

"Oh...Otonashi- _ _san__! Good morning!" Naoi replied, his face's like a loyal, innocent kid, as if his "superiority complex" had just gone cold.

"What's with all that?" I said as my eyes were gazed at the bawling man beside him.

"He started it, not me! I'm trying to maintain good conduct..."

"Does that include making a gentleman cry his eyes out? Doesn't look like a good conduct to me."

"Otonashi- _ _kun__ , Naoi- _ _kun...__ "

I turned to see Yuri on the entrance of the Headquarters. "Can you two follow me? I'm going to discuss about something."

Huh? Me? And Naoi? I don't know what Yuri's thinking about, but I just put the trust on her as Naoi and I followed her outside the HQ.

-Unknown Area, miles from the Afterlife school complex-

-Nishida's PoV-

It's already miles away from the bridge, I've passed the usual fields, buildings, and even forests. Now I found myself on a kind of road with flowers on its left and right.

To think of it, the flowers here looks so beautiful, like it was treated very well here. I wonder if someone did take care of these flowers on their spare time, or it was already natural for the scenery...no, I'm sure someone had taken care of this flower field, because it was somehow extremely tidy and eye-catching.

For almost one mile, I walked with the beautiful scenery of flowers on my left and right, meaning that the flower garden around me is pretty large. To think that someone's taking care of this garden, that person must've worked very hard, or there are more than one person who took care of it.

Soon, I descended a long set of stairs, the scenery around me now changes onto wild forests. As much as I wanted to use this forest for training practice, I felt like there might be a better choice if I checked on the other places more. This forest might act well if there's no other good practice places out there.

Apparently, I had walked quite far, about three miles or so? I guess no one in the Afterlife had walked this far, so this area is pretty much abandoned.

Or so I thought

In front of me, was a kind of city area, specifically, a shopping district. It was filled with many shops, restaurants, and many more. What's more, this area is quite crowded.

 _ _Is this still the same Afterlife that I know?__

While muttering that sentence for ultimately many times, I wandered across the "district". Apparently since I've walked far enough, my stomach started to yearn for some calories, so I entered a nearby bakery.

 _"_ _ _Irasshaimase! W...Whoa"__ the staff greeted me, but he was extremely shocked and afraid when he saw me.

"Eh, something wrong?"

"P...Please have mercy on me, take as many as you want, but don't kill me..." His eyes were darted on a certain spot and I realized that he was looking at the gun I held on my right hand all along.

"N...No, it's not what you think. I'm just a regular customer." I convinced him and put my pistol in my pocket.

"Oh, that's a relief. I'm sorry, please look around." he apologized.

I looked around the bakery and bought some bread and cakes for myself. For an instance, this looked like an ordinary bakery, but if I looked closely, there's one quirk that differentiate this bakery from any other bakeries I knew.

There's a big writing on the wall, something that should not have been posted even in any shops.

 _ _Do not give any compliments/praises to any of the staff__

'Huh, really? What kind of rule is this?'

I'm still wondering about that rule as I walked to the cashier and paid for the food. But something inside me told me that I shouldn't ask about the rule, at least not now.

 _"_ _ _Arigatou gozaimashita!"__ was what I hear from the staff as I exited the bakery, continuing my journey on finding a practice area.

-GirlDeMo Rehearsal Room-

-3rd person's PoV-

Meanwhile, inside GirlDeMo's rehearsal room, three girls could be seen inside. Different from the usual, the girls didn't seem to play their musical instruments. Instead, they're just chatting along, well it can't be helped since their lead singer chose to have some fun with the other Battlefront members in the HQ.

"It's been a while since our last Operation Tornado, don't you think?" Hisako asked.

"Yeah, Yuri hasn't started assigning another Operation, so we might have nothing to do." Sekine said. "That reminds me, we've recently got Yui as our new lead singer and Nishida as our "manager", but we hadn't got any chance to have fun together in a kind of vacation as GirlDeMo since then, right?"

"Come to think of it, our last vacation was a little sleepover at a shack found by Iwasawa back then, and that's before Yui and Nishida joined us." Hisako replied nostalgically.

"Yeah, which somehow made me concerned about your relation to Iwasawa yourself." Sekine smirked.

"Oh, c'mon Sekine, not that one please." Hisako retorted. "By the way, I haven't seen Nishida since that Naoi incident, and I found no one at the infirmary, I wonder where he went..." Hisako said.

"He's under the bridge, practicing shooting like usual." Suddenly a very familiar voice entered the rehearsal room.

"Oh, Yuri- _ _san__ , is there another Operation Tornado going to be scheduled?" Irie, who is quiet all the time suddenly asked.

"No, there isn't. I'm going to assign another operation other than that. But, more importantly, Irie, could you come with me?" Yuri replied.

"Eh, me?" Irie said. "What's going on?"

"Just follow me, this is quite important."

Without sparing another words, Irie followed Yuri onto the designated place, where a certain guy had been waiting for her.

-Afterlife Shopping District-

-Nishida's PoV-

Half an hour had passed, and yet I still haven't found the best place to practice. Well, one could bet that it's almost a futile attempt to find a secluded, wide area for shooting practice in a shopping district, isn't it. Yet my stubbornness might not obey those assumption.

Eventually, even I knew when to give up, and decided to go back to the Afterlife School Complex, or that was my initial plan, before just one simple yet breathtaking scenery had changed it thoroughly.

My steps on the direction back to the school complex was halted by a scenery of a sunset that could be seen from a park that somehow existed there.

Park...it's been awhile since I stopped on that kind of area. I had never set foot on a park before here in the Afterlife, and possibly not also in my previous life...

Wait...come to think of it...Didn't I had some kind of dream where I was at a park this morning?

I didn't recognize where I walk since I was thinking about it, and my foot somehow hit a hard piece of probably metal, or something like that, before I realize that I hit a bench leg.

So I stumbled upon a bench, to cite the fact.

I winced, and decided to take a seat and checked my foot if it was bruised. But instead of checking it out, halfway through, my eyes can't focus on the spot where I hit that bench, but rather, on a sunset view in front of me.

Sitting on a bench in a park, looking at the sunset, I guess it was one of a wonderful experience, wasn't it? But, is it just my imagination, or somehow this felt a bit...incomplete?

 _ _I could imagine you sitting there, with someone you love...__

Those words suddenly came to mind.

Maybe if I did find myself someone that I love...will it feel different? Who knows, since I still hadn't got one, and I had no intention for it right now.

But I kept it in mind. One day, if I found myself someone that I love, I promise to myself that I'll bring her to see this, and prove that it will feel different and complete.

Well, better head back now since I realize that the sun really had set.

-Rooftop-

-3rd Person's PoV-

Yuri and Irie made their way to the rooftop, where a certain reddish brown-haired guy had been waiting for them.

"Irie- _ _san__ , I've been waiting for you." Otonashi said. "Thanks for bringing her up, Yuri."

"You're welcome, and good to know you had calmed down and made a decision to keep fighting." Yuri replied. "Anyway, you'd better tell Irie about the reason why you called her here."

"Ah, right, what is it, Otonashi- _ _san__?"

Otonashi kept silent for a moment, readying himself for a long explanation.

"I need your help to restore Nishida's memories."

 ** **A/N: And I stop it here! Sorry for the goddamn cliffhanger (if you think it is).****

 ** **Next chapter will cover the Monster Stream chapter (I plan to, but I don't know if it may change or not.), but it will not be told from the eyes of the Battlefront team! And it will be also the explanation about Otonashi's little but important plan about restoring Nishida's memories.****

 ** **I plan to make this chapter ends in Chapter 22, but that was still a rough guess and assumption. Next chapter will be posted about 7-25 days later, but it could be faster since I have one month free from campus (but sadly not from Thesis, so I had to prioritize it first).****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	14. A Memorable Choice

****Hello everyone, Kage here!****

 ** **Back with another chapter. This chapter is actually apart from the 22-chapter plan I got, so since I posted this, this story's plan changes into 23-chapter plan. And I'm so sorry, but I can't help but update this chapter a bit slower. The reason's shown at the end of this chapter.****

 ** **Thanks for Author Enilorac Eiram for the review! Don't worry, I don't mind for the late review, although honestly, I felt a little down since you're the only one actively reviewing my story, but it's okay, and glad you reviewed anyway!****

 ** **Yeah, the way of Assassin is very lacking in terms of love, that really makes sense.****

 ** **The anime rarely covers the GirlDeMo outside the singing practice (exception for Hisako and Yui since Hisako appears in the Mahjong game in Ep 6 while Yui takes part in Battlefront missions (or because she wanted to be close to Hinata?)), and only did when they wanted to call it quits, yeah so I'm doing my best to think of another idea for them.****

 ** **Well, who knows? You're very perceptive there!****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Without further ado, here's the next chapter!****

Chapter 14-A Memorable Choice

* * *

-GirlDeMo's Rehearsal Room-

-Sekine's PoV-

With Miyuki _ _-chi__ being called by Yuri for something, that leaves only Hisako and me in the rehearsal room. Of course music training is even more out of the choice since not only our lead singer isn't here, but so do our drummer. It's getting a bit lonelier here without them or Nishida- _ _san__ with us.

Come to think of it, the more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm curious about them. By them, I mean our cute drummer and that golden fearful-eyed "supposed-to-be-manager" of us.

It was very clear that Miyuki _ _-chi__ might have feelings for Nishida _ _-san__ , I'm really sure of it (I might even bet Hisako did think the same way)! I've known Miyuki _ _-chi__ for so long that I know when she might had a crush on someone or not, and at this occasion, I can say that Nishida- _ _san__ had struck deep inside her.

But something's still bothering me... Even if Miyuki _ _-chi__ is that crushing to Nishida- _ _san__ , it doesn't explain how she could know about that green onion stuff. If I remember correctly, we never had food together with Nishida- _ _san__ before. So to find out that Miyuki _ _-chi__ knows about Nishida's favorite thing to do, that's a bit...too familiar?

And second, Why didn't she tense up like that time when I teased her before the ball game? She's now much more, well, calmer everytime I set her up with Nishida- _ _san__ , like it's not a big deal or something of some sort. Did I tease her so much that she's no longer embarrassed about it?

But all of it might suggest something a bit more nontrivial. It almost looks like Miyuki- _ _chi__ and Nishida- _ _san__ had met much longer than they look. I mean, it's almost their first meeting here in the Afterlife was not really their first time...

Whoops, Did I use an ambiguous word there? Sorry, I mean their first meeting here in the Afterlife feels more like: "Hello, we meet again..." or that sort of thing.

Should I ask Miyuki- _ _chi__ about this? I'm getting more and more curious.

But if I do, what will happen to our best of friendship here? Will she hate me because of being nosy and intruding too much on her "life"...

No, I can't risk my friendship with her. No sir.

"Hey, Sekine, it's not like you to space out this time. Is something on your head?" I heard Hisako asked me a question.

"E...Eh. Nothing."

"Thinking of another prank for Irie and Nishida again?"

That words suddenly shook me from all my thoughts.

Pranks?

Well, it can't be helped. For too many times I teased Miyuki- _ _chi__ and Nishida- _ _san__ a bit too far that almost everyone saw them as pranks. I wonder if everyone had labeled me a prankster or something of some sort.

Well, Hisako's not an exception.

But, if I put another one in action this time, there's some chances that I could really deduce Miyuki- _ _chi__ and Nishida- _ _san__ 's relationship.

If I remember correctly, I had thought that we GirlDeMo members haven't managed to go on a vacation together again since Iwasawa's disappearance. So, if I put one and one altogether, then...

"Well, Hisako, how about if we ..."

-Rooftop-

-3rd Person's PoV-

"R...Restoring Nishida's memories? M...Me? How?" Irie was shocked at Otonashi's request.

"Didn't you tell me before that you were childhood friends with Nishida in your previous life?" Otonashi pointed out.

"Y...Yes, I've told you before, but, what's the connection with restoring Nishida's memo...Oh..." Irie suddenly found a realization.

"Of course you know it. Since no one here except you had ever lived with Nishida before, no one could restore his memories since he even had no memories or connections with him. But you had lived together with him for far longer than us, and I could bet you've got some good memories with him which had been lost from Nishida's current memory. That might help really well in restoring Nishida's lost memories."

"Ah, now I get it." Irie stated. "H...How could I help?"

"Well, I have no real ideas, but why don't you try to make him remember? Like, you can give him stuffs he likes, or go out with him to a place he likes to go."

"Oh..."

"I noticed once back then after our Operation Tornado right after Kana...I mean Tenshi's downfall, you remember when you give the "leftover green onions" to Nishida?"

"Yes, I remember."

"You said your reason is because you take too much, if I'm not mistaken. However, I could guess that that's not the real reason, wasn't it?"

"Eh...you know?"

" _ _Yappari...__ " Otonashi paused for a moment. "You're taking green onions for Yakisoba? I hardly ever heard on that one. But of course I heard one on Ramen."

Irie just kept silent.

"So, I came to a conclusion that you take it purposely for Nishida, ain't I right?"

"Well..."

"Alright, save the blushes for later. So tell me, does Nishida likes to put many green onions on his ramen when he was little?"

Irie's mind went to a certain memory. "He did, although we only had one together for only a few times. We've got not much money on us so we seldom have it together. But everytime we did, it always turned out like that, Nishida's taking a humongous amount of it from the condiment table." Irie replied, smiling as she reminisced it.

"O...kay, no comment with that." Otonashi let out a "Pfft" sound. "But here, you see, Irie- _ _san__ , that action is actually one attempt to recover his memories, don't you think? So, what I suggest, is that you should try to do things you usually do with Nishida on your previous life, maybe it could trigger those memories to surface."

"Um...but...what about Nishida's duty in the Battlefront?"

"I'll be assigning Nishida to fully joining the Diversion Team instead of Diversion Spy for this time. I'll trust this task to you." Yuri said, answering Irie's problem, before a signal reached Yuri's HT.

"Yurippe, preparations are complete."

"Okay, I'll be going there." Yuri said. "So, Irie, Otonashi, I'll leave Nishida's case to both of you. I'll assign Nishida to Diversion team the next time we went on an operation. Good Luck..."

With that, Yuri exited the rooftop, leaving Otonashi and Irie behind.

"Irie- _ _san__ , so, about the plan."

"Otonashi- _ _san__ , I don't know, but I think I just can't..."

"W...What? Why?" Otonashi, of course, didn't expect Irie to turn down his idea.

"Because, I don't want to see him hurt."

"Huh?" Otonashi said. "W...What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to end up hurting him... I just can't."

Otonashi could see Irie's eyes now began to water. Another unexpected thing for the reddish-haired guy.

"You're not going to hurt him. I assure you. You only need to try restoring his memories, just the happy memories with you is fine. Trust me, he won't get hurt."

"But, if I restore only his happy memories with me, doesn't that make him only remembers part of me? If I have to restore his memory, that must include also the sad memories too, so he can remember all of me..."

Spontaneously, Irie didn't know that she had somehow confessed something important: her true feelings to Nishida. And it seems like she wasn't the only one to notice this.

"Irie- _ _san__ , if you said all of that...did you mean you're in love with Nishida? I thought both of you only stayed as the best of friends until that horrible event..."

"I...I didn't say that I'm in love with him..."

"If so, then why did you want to be remembered wholly? Why did you insist on recovering not only the good, but also the bad memories?"

"I...I..."

"You don't have to deny if that's your pure feelings. You can't lie to yourself."

"I...can't love him...at least I can't here." Irie stammered, tears now dominated her cheeks' surface.

"Sorry, can you give me some moment to think about my decision?"

Irie then left the rooftop, leaving Otonashi in a confused state. However, we all know how cunning Otonashi is...

"If that's the problem...then I can't help it. Everything now rests on Irie's decision. I can only support for the best for the two of them."

-Corridor-

-Irie's PoV-

As I gently wiped my tears away, I slowly walked towards the training room, still thinking about the plan discussed with Otonashi.

I'm so glad and grateful to the reddish-haired guy of the Battlefront. He was concerned about Nishida's current partially-amnesiac state, and worked hard to help him recover the rest of the memories, some of those including Nishida's memories with me in our childhood days.

To think of it, Otonashi had also just recovered his memories, and I heard he had gone depressed because of it. But still, he didn't falter his concern to the purple-haired friend of his, and still tried his best.

He was that concerned that he could come up with this plan. As the closest friend Nishida used to have, even I don't doubt that Otonashi assumed that I could play the key role to the memory restoration plan. That goes without saying.

But, what really shook me restrained me from accepting this plan, was actually, although quite selfish of me, is because of myself.

I might've known Otonashi could deduce what might happen after I told him that words.

 _ _I can't love Nishida, at least I can't here.__

If I said it like that, that can only mean I had been deeply in love with Nishida, but I just can't show it here. By here, I mean the Afterlife.

Yes, you can deduce it. If I confessed my love to Nishida, then I'll disappear, and I'll just reverse the role with the one back then in life, when Nishida just disappeared before my life.

It hurts for me when it happened, and I know how much it will hurt if his memories were restored and I just disappeared like that, because it was approximately the same.

"I'm sorry, Nishida- _ _san__..."

"Sorry for what?" I suddenly heard a very familiar voice from my left. I noticed that I was near the stairs and Nishida had just climbed them.

"Eh...nothing..."

"Oh well, I also didn't remember if you had done something wrong to me. It's all okay."

"A... _ _Arigatou__ , Nishida- _ _san__." Irie said. "Anyway, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm about to stop by GirlDeMo's rehearsal room. It seems like Yuri had appointed me to join the Diversion Team instead of the Battlefront this time, and I think Sekine and Hisako had been told by Yui, so I think I just stop and say hi again? Either way, what about you?"

"I'm going back to the rehearsal room too." Irie answered.

"Oh, why don't we go together and..." Nishida suddenly noticed that Irie's eyes were red. "Eh, is something wrong? You looked like you had just cried."

"Eh, it's nothing, I think my eyes had just caught some debris or something like that. Don't worry."

"I sure hope so...Why don't we go now? You didn't wait for anyone, did you?"

"Ah, no, of course not. Come on then." Irie replied as both of them walked towards the rehearsal room, unnoticed by both of them that they walked hand-in-hand.

-Rehearsal Room-

"Ah, there you are...Oh..." Hisako said, her face now showed a kind of surprised look.

"Eh, is something wrong, Hisako- _ _san__?"

"No, I just didn't realize both of you had been that close..." Hisako said as her gaze turned onto the spot where Nishida and Irie are connected.

"Eh, since when did we..."

" _ _Ara...ara...__ These lovebirds had just tried to try finding a fake reason, I see..." Sekine chirped, of course with her usual naughty sneer.

"Hey, I really didn't intend to, I swear!" Nishida said, while Irie just kept silent as usual.

"Yeah...yeah...whatever you say..." Hisako looked unconvinced. "Anyway, Sekine here had some announcement for you."

"Alright, thanks Hisako." Sekine said. "Hisako and I was told by Yui that Nishida now belongs to the Diversion team, am I right?"

"Of course Yui would tell you all..."

"Now, since Iwasawa's disappearance, we haven't got time for any vacation, that means we haven't bonded up well with the post-Iwasawa-disappearance members like Yui and Nishida, so Hisako and I had come on a wonderful plan for all of us. Nishida, you're not an exception."

"Okay, I'm all ears, so what plans do you have?"

"We're going to have a vacation together, all Diversion Team members. And for this time's vacation, let's go swim in the river!"

 ** **A/N: Actually, I wanted to make this very short that it will be labeled: Chapter 13.5. But since I realized that this chapter hits 2000 words, then I have no choice but to label this chapter as a full chapter 14. And so the Monster Stream-setting chapter will be moved to chapter 15. But, if this chapter is too short, then I'm sorry for that!  
****

 ** **Next chapter will cover the vacation, which takes about the same time as the Monster-Stream Operation. And (*spoiler alert*), the river where they will swim is actually the same river where the Monster Stream Operation took place, but of course I'll make some precautions regarding both of them. It will be posted a bit longer because, although I've got holidays, I still got my Thesis unfinished and now I've got some extra work to do: I'm attending driving course and planned to enrol on German Language course, since I've been planning to continue my studies to Germany, hope I could make it. And moreover, I've got four little cousins here at my home to take care of, and they always forced me to play some games with them, which took a lot of my time. But that doesn't mean I had no time for stories, especially this one since this is the only story where I have a lot of drafts ready, (I've got some for chapter 15,17, and 21). I'm going to do my best!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while Flames are prohibited, Thank You and See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	15. GirlDeMo's Bonding Up

****Hi everyone, Kage here!****

 ** **I can't believe that this story had already going this far, and somehow I'm still eager to continue this story.****

 ** **Ah, thanks to my OC and the existence of Miyuki Irie (and Yuri Nakamura, actually) from Angel Beats! I'm starting to love the idea of purple-colored things! Oh, don't mistake me for something weird, please...****

 ** **Oh, only a little nonsense here, but actually I attempted a poem for Nishida and Irie, focusing on how contrast this two actually, and posted it in my blog. But it was using my local language and it almost can't be translated since it might change the beauty of the rhymes. But if it was possible, I'll try to attempt an English one, though don't expect a good poem from a Math student like me.****

 ** **Anyway, thanks to author Enilorac Eiram for the review! And well, writing Sekine's PoV is actually quite the challenge, especially with the double tone like that. I hope I didn't stray too far here.****

 ** **Yeah, maybe it might seem weird, because actually Irie only wanted Nishida to recognize her, but as everyone can see, it actually affected more than just that, and that "effect" somehow also shook Irie to the core. How will she solve this problem, let's see at the future chapters.****

 ** **Otonashi's an interesting fellow, and the most "normal" if I think. So I can't think of other people other than him for this "plan".****

 ** **Here's the next chapter!****

* * *

Chapter 15- GirlDeMo's Bonding Up

"Shiorin, that's..."

" _ _Ara__ , what's the matter, Miyuki- _ _chi__? Why are you blushing so much?" Sekine teased her best friend.

"No, I'm not. It's j...just, N...Nishida's g...going with us, r...right?"

"Oh, what's the matter with Nishida joining us, Irie?" Hisako suddenly joined in. "Are you becoming so glad knowing he joined us?"

"W...Wha..." Irie's blush were going deeper. "No, it's not that. It's just, if we're going swimming in the river, then..."

"Then?"

"W...We'll be using s...swimsuits, aren't we?"

"I never said that we'll be using swimsuits, anyway." Sekine said in amusement. "Ah, now I get it...Miyuki- _ _chi__ 's being so concerned because she's just too shy to show off herself in swimsuit in front of Nishida- _ _san__."

"T...That's..."

"Well, that's the only explanation if the talk is going like this. You can clip out these words: Nishida going with us, and swimming in swimsuits, and Irie's beet-colored face. There's no doubt that Sekine's right." Hisako added. "Right, Nishida?"

Nishida didn't respond at all. His face was just facing upwards and his right hand on his chin, making a thinking pose or something. What's unusual about the scene in front of the GirlDeMo members is the fact that Nishida's cheeks were turning a bit red.

"Nishida...did you hear me?"

"U...Uh...Eh...Sorry." Nishida replied to Hisako's call, the redness of his cheeks unfortunately hadn't left him.

" _ _Ara__...Nishida- _ _san__ 's imagining Miyuki- _ _chi__ in swimsuit, what a lecherous person..."

"I should've known that Nishida has also a side of a pervert." Hisako added.

" _ _C...Chigau yo!__ " Nishida replied a bit sternly, but with still a faint reddened cheeks. "I'm just spacing out because of the lack of sleep, that's all."

"And now we've got a __tsundere__ side of Nishida. Great job, Hisako." Sekine added with a smirk.

Nishida just stared, dumbfounded by the bassist and the electric-guitar wielding members, before suddenly he felt a stare from the last one, an unusual bitter stare.

"N...Nishida- _ _san__ , d...don't imagine that!"

"Why? I mean...I didn't even imagine it at all! Don't get the wrong idea!"

This sentence, unexpectedly had torn Irie in half. One side was relieved that no one is imagining her in that shameful way, but the other side of her had got a wild hope.

"If he didn't imagine at all, then does that mean I wasn't that attrac...Oh, what am I thinking? Why suddenly I think like that?"

But that sentence somehow remained in Irie's mind.

"Nah, calm down, Miyuki- _ _chi.__ We could just use our casual clothes or our uniform. You know very well that the other members will also have an operation there, so of course we're not showing off in front of them."

"Ah, of course that's right." Hisako said, before turning to the only guy in the group. "Seems like it's not your lucky day, Nishida."

"What are you talking about?"

"Relax, Nishida. If you really wanted to see Miyuki- _ _chi__ in her swimsuit, you can just ask her yourself, she probably might reconsider..."

"Shiorin! Of course that's not going to happen!"

"Irie- _ _san,__ if I may..." suddenly Nishida interrupted Irie on her speech, only to realize that he interrupted just at the wrongest of moments.

"I'll never do that! Why does this always happen to me?" Irie said as she slapped Nishida on the cheek and ran away from the room, leaving the others in the jaw-drop state.

"B...But, I just wanted her to calm down...Jeez, why must it turn out like this..." Nishida said as he wiped his slapped area and got up.

"It's your fault, Sekine!"

"Why me? Didn't you the one who wanted to see her in her swimsuit?"

"Not a chance! I'm not that lecherous of a person and I have no interest in that kind of thing!"

"Oh, really?" Sekine teased. "Could it be that you're into guys, probably?"

"Absolutely not!"

"But you said that you had no interest on Irie in swimsuits, so I thought you're not into girls..."

"Look, Sekine. I'm still a normal guy and I have to admit that as a guy, I like to see that kind of thing...but I know when to and when not to think something like that." Nishida explained.

"It's all a misunderstanding then...you should go and apologize to her by yourself."

"Well, I have no choice, but you also owe us an apology, Sekine. Understood?"

"I never said I'm in the wrong here..." Sekine continued to tease.

"Whatever..." Nishida said. "I'm going to find Irie, I must resolve this silly misunderstanding..."

Nishida then left the rehearsal room, searching for the lilac-haired girl who had misunderstood everything...

* * *

-Battlefront HQ-

"Our food supply have been thinning recently, we're going to run out of food in just a few days." Takamatsu said.

"Should we go on Operation Tornado again?" Fujimaki asked.

"No, I've known about this and this is the right time." Yuri declared as she pressed a button, and in an instant, the name of a mission appeared on the frame behind her. "Today's operation is "Monster Stream!"

Following her declaration, everyone in the room, aside from Otonashi, suddenly exclaimed in multiple manners, some from fright, some from elation, and others, well, just ask the waving grass...

"Woo-hoo, it's finally here!"

"It's the carnival of despair!" T.K. declared.

Meanwhile, a certain brown-haired guy just put his hands on his face, screaming like when his foot had been stomped by an anvil...

"W...What is this operation?" Otonashi suddenly got up, feeling curious, but his face looked a hint of determination. "D...Do monsters exist in this place?"

"Yes, the King of the River." Noda replied unnervingly.

"Near this school, there's a river, right?" This time it was Hinata who added for more clarity. "We're going to go topping off our food provisions there."

Otonashi's determination suddenly do a pi radiant...I mean 180 degree change. His face now just looked annoyed. Those fire of determination probably had met a tidal wave...

"Wait a minute...so it's just a simple river-fishing?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing." Otonashi sweatdropped at the remark. 'I'm just taken by the name and imagined something ridiculous again. If Nishida was here, probably he'll just laugh it all off or do think the same.'

"Oh right, speaking of which." Ooyama spoke after finally recovered from the wave of scream he emitted, "Where is Nishida? Didn't he join us this time?"

"Oh, sorry if I forgot to tell you." Hinata suddenly said.

"I've assigned Nishida in the Diversion team from now on for some reasons. He'll be back when his issue is resolved." Yuri interrupted and explained.

"Diversion Team? Nishida's really lucky to be among those girls." Fujimaki said nonchalantly, "What issue is Nishida facing, anyway?"

"It's personal, so I can't let you, or even myself to butt in." Yuri replied sternly, although Otonashi just kept calm yet worried about the ordeal.

Right until then, he was sure his plan could succeed, and Nishida could recover his memories like he did, even better than him since his will be fully recovered.

Until one fact cited by Irie dissolved all those assurance. Now, although Yuri hadn't known, everything was back to square one. Except...

'I wonder why disappearance was like a kind of a frightening experience in this Battlefront? Should I ask Yuri, or..."

His thoughts then went onto a certain girl who could actually explain the whole ordeal of this Afterlife, although then his face suddenly felt hot from thinking that certain someone in his head.

"That's right, I had to ask her, if I got the chance..."

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

Right now, I was running around the school, in search for the lilac-haired girl who had probably hated me because of that silly yet fatal misunderstanding.

Seriously, Sekine always had the opportunity to do something like this, but this time it was a bit too far, and this had to do with me too...

I wonder why she did that to me? And with Irie, of all people? Why must she set up everything against both of us? Why not Hisako, or even Yusa, or other?

Is that because I had done everything alot together with Irie more than others? Isn't that because of Sekine's setup too? It's just like a wheel of logic to comprehend, really!

Well, part of it was my own will, but that's also because Irie was in a bad shape, either sulking, crying or something like that.

But, come to think of it, Irie did blush and be embarrassed everytime she's near me. That's not something that can't be explained, if we're referring to her shy personality, at least what I know at the times of meeting her.

What I'm curious about her, is that, why didn't she tried to be apart from me even with that much teasing Sekine had done? She could just choose to avoid me, and Sekine probably could stop teasing us.

But she didn't. And, surprise surprise, I also didn't want her to avoid me...

I wonder why?

"Ahem, so here's the lecherous pervert that tried to harass one of our top diversion member..."

That voice, it can't be...her, right?

Dammit, my luck's in the toilet...

I looked forward to see Irie, but beside her, was none other than my "ex-superior" who, for unknown reasons, had housed a lot of hatred towards me...

Wait a second...lecherous pervert? Harass? What the hell...

"Who's the lecherous pervert you're talking about?"

"Oh, playing dumb, I see...for a dirty guy like you, you're not good at playing clean..."

"Dang...did you mean that's because I asked Irie- _ _san__ to show off herself in swimsuit? That's a pitiful nonsense!"

"Your lie count had exceeded the limit, Nishida."

"Look, it was all a misunderstanding, okay? Irie- _ _san__ , I'm sorry if I interrupted at the wrong moment. I only requested you to calm down, and not that perverted thing I would rather not say again. Though as a man, I'm sorry if I didn't dislike it..."

"See, all men are perverts, just as you said..." Yusa replied hatefully. "With all of this, I don't know what to say again. But, knowing both of you had something to do with yourselves, I'm going to let you go this time."

"T...Thanks, Yusa."

"It's not like I'm going to let you go on my own will! Irie requested me that I shouldn't give you punishment of some sort. You should be grateful to her! And you have to apologize to her and resolve this "what-you-say-as-misunderstanding" on yourselves!" Yusa grumbled. "I have to go now..."

Right as cued, Yusa walked off, leaving the two purple-haired people alone.

"So, once again, I apologize for the words, Irie- _ _san__." Nishida said. "I really didn't intend to ask you for that."

"Well, if you really mean it, then I forgive you." Irie said, although her face still showed a hint of sadness.

 _ _He definitely didn't see me as attractive__.

"But, something's bothering me, Irie- _ _san__..."

"Hm..."

"Yusa said that you requested her not to put any punishments to me. Although well I hadn't even figured out if Yusa could give any kind of punishment, it still concerns me for you to do so, knowing that you were enraged because of this indecent misunderstanding."

"Hm..." Irie nodded.

"So why...Why didn't you just let Yusa punish me? Why did you spare mercy on this indecent, lecherous guy (according to Yusa and the misunderstanding)?

-3rd Person's PoV-

That sentence stopped Irie on her tracks... _ _Why did she wanted all of this? Why is she concerned with Nishida?__

Of course, she knew the real answer, but even so, is that really the answer? Is there any other reason even further than that?

"I...just don't want you to suffer, that's all. I know how hard Yusa is to you." Irie chuckled, in which Nishida just smiled and began to chuckle too.

"Well then, Irie- _ _san__ , Sekine and Hisako are waiting. C'mon now." Nishida said as he took Irie's hand and ran towards the rehearsal room.

* * *

-Rehearsal Room-

" _ _Ara,__ Nishida really is concerned about Miyuki- _ _chi__..."

"Well, who isn't? Aren't you supposed to be the same as her best friend?" I retorted towards the messy blonde-haired girl who's smirking in satisfaction.

"Oh well, with everyone here, why don't we prepare up right now? Then let's meet up here after you finished." Hisako suggested.

" _ _Haaaai!"__ everyone in the room replied energetically.

* * *

-Timeskip-

-Riverside-

As the Battlefront plus Yui had gone on the Monster Stream mission, the rest of GirlDeMo, plus their "manager" had camped about five hundred meters away from the group. They were not too visible to the Battlefront, and to keep them not to visible, Yui decided to fish on the river part nearest to their encampment, and thus letting the others to take an even further fishing spot. That way, the only ones who can see the Diversion team was only Yui herself.

"Whooo! The water is so refreshing!" Sekine exclaimed as she made her way into the river, of course she took a safe distance so that she won't be swept along with the river flow. Her right arm somehow was connected to a certain lilac-haired girl, who, by the looks of it, was forced into the river.

"S...Shiorin..."

" _ _Ara__...what's up, Miyuki- _ _chi__? Oh, why is your face red?"

"I...Isn't this a bit...c...cold?"

"Really, but it's a clear sunny day? It should've been hot and being in here should've been refreshing." Sekine asked.

"Um..." Irie's eyes turned onto the only male figure, who unexpectedly had the chance to bring a kind of relaxing chair and sunglasses... and it seems that someone's nearing him...

"Hey, Nishida, what are you doing?" A certain brown-haired girl asked.

"Sunbathing."

"You know very well that we're not at a beach, right?"

"Yeah, I know. So?"

"So...how come you just sit here with only shorts and sunglasses on? This is a riverside, not a coast."

"Well, as long as there's sunlight above me, then sunbathing is not a wrong thing to do." Nishida just stayed calm...

"Oh well...you can do whatever you want, but again I warned you, this is not a beach/ coast, so do not expect one to put sunblock on you or bringing yourself some drink..." Hisako remarked. "Oh, except if a certain girlfriend of yours wanted to do that, then I have no right to stop her."

"And who are you talking about? I absolutely have no idea."

"Suit yourself..." Hisako said before joining on the other GirlDeMo members."

From the river, Sekine finally realized why Irie went red, and so she decided to...well...you know it.

"Hey, Irie- _ _san..."__

 _"_ Hm?"

"Are you sure you're not feeling hot?"

"No, why?"

"Then, why is your face red?"

"Eh...I..."

"Okay, don't say it because I knew it already..." Sekine smirked, not unnoticeable by the lilac-haired girl.

"Oh, that smirk of yours...don't think of anything weird, Shiorin..."

"I'm not thinking weird, maybe I'm thinking of what my reaction will be if I were you and I'm seeing a certain guy with that kind of "toned" body being topless in front of you..."

"E...Ehh..." Irie's redness become much more redder.

"See...just as I thought."

"You're the one that put the ideas of topless Nishida- _ _san__ in my head, Shiorin!" Irie snapped at her best friend.

"Oh, I'm not talking about Nishida here, except if you're thinking of him..."

"U...Uuu... _ _Hazukashi-desu__..."

"Come to think of it. What do you think if we...psst...psst..." Sekine whispered something onto Irie's ear.

"E...Eh...won't that make him mad?"

"If he did, just reply it with: "That's the price you must pay for thinking about me in swimsuits." or something like that."

"I...I..."

"Look, this is another way to be close with Nishida, I know he won't be mad at you. Just go with the plan, okay?"

Irie just nodded, while Sekine went onto a certain GirlDeMo member who joined the Battlefront Operation too.

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ , you stay here." Sekine ordered, then her face went onto the said member.

"Yui, can you help me with something?"

"D...Do you think it's a good idea? I don't want him to hate me because of this."

"Oh, no no no, you won't be hated by him. You're too cute to be hated, remember that." Sekine said, taking a stance at the nearest edge of the river. "Okay, Yui, you're ready?"

"Right!"

"Okay, Miyuki- _ _chi__ ,One! Two! Three!"

Both Sekine and Irie put their hands on a stance, and surged a wave of water towards the sunbathing guy in front of them, covered him so much that you may think he's just finished swimming."

"Ouch, what the..."

"Hyaaa!" from his behind, Yui suddenly kicked Nishida's back forcefully, on a certain spot that Nishida suddenly lost balance, even for a trained assassin like him, and stumbled forward very fast, approaching the river.

And, not expected by a certain lilac-haired girl...Nishida was actually stumbled on her direction!

"W...What?"

Nishida's approaching close...

"W...Wait, this is..."

* * *

 _ _-Flashback Trigger -__

 _"_ _ _Hey, Shuu, what are you doing?" a boy asked another boy who is at the edge of a pool. Apparently the pool was filled with many people, including a certain lilac-haired young girl. The boy was standing at the edge of the pool, fully-clothed because he didn't have any intention to go inside.__

 _"_ _ _Huh, who's Shuu?" the boy replied back.__

 _"_ _ _You didn't recognize your own name?"__

 _"_ _ _My name doesn't have two u's, it's Shugo, not Shuugo."__

 _"_ _ _Tch! You're no fun." the boy replied. "Why don't you go inside the pool?"__

 _"_ _ _Nah, I'm not in a good condition, I'm still recovering from my flu."__

 _"_ _ _Then, why don't you just sit there?" The boy pointed at the resting chair near the edge of the pool. "I suppose you had any other reason to stand here?"__

 _"_ _ _Yeah, just feeling the coolness of the water by my feet." the other boy with the name of Shugo replied.__

 _"_ _ _Is that all?"__

 _"_ _ _Yeah, is there any other reason you could think?"__

 _"_ _ _Oh, I could think one." The boy suddenly smirked. "You probably observed little Miyuki from here, and tried to save her like a prince when she's drowning or something happened to her."__

 _"_ _ _And how could you come with such a ridiculous idea?" Shugo retorted.__

 _"_ _ _Oh, aren't both of you...well...a thing? You know back then at the park?"__

 _"_ _ _That time? Oh you mean "that"" Shugo replied. "That's because Miyuki only wanted to show me something, so I just go on with it, it doesn't mean that we're actually a thing."__

 _"_ _ _But..."__

 _"_ _ _What's more, we're still 14, isn't that too young for a relationship?"__

 _"_ _ _Huh, really? Man...you're going to marry late if you didn't start having a relationship from now." The other boy replied. "Look, back then, you and Miyuki had been in a perfect setting."__

 _"_ _ _What setting?"__

 _"_ _ _You know...Shugo and Miyuki, sitting under a tree..."__

 _"_ _ _Hm? Is that even a song?"__

 _"_ _ _Oh my gosh! Did I just talk with an extremely old-fashioned boy here?"__

 _"_ _ _Well, I'm sorry if I'm old-fashioned, okay? So, explain about the song."__

 _"_ _ _Okay, hear this out then: Shugo and Miyuki, sitting under a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Does that enough explanation for you?"__

 _ _Shugo's face suddenly went red.__

 _"_ _ _Oh, c'mon...seriously."__

 _"_ _ _Hey, I'm serious." the boy said, before calling a certain girl who is at the pool. "Oi, Irie-san!"__

 _"_ _ _Eh?" A girl known as Miyuki noticed the call. "Oh, Toyama-san, what is it?"__

 _"_ _ _Come here, Shugo wanted to tell you something!"__

 _"_ _ _Hey, I didn't want to tell anything. What's your scenario here?" Shugo retorted back.__

 _"_ _ _My scenario? Here we go!"__

 _ _The boy suddenly kicked Shugo into the pool, right onto the direction of the girl.__

 _"_ _ _Ahh! Irie-san, watch out!"__

 _ _But it was too late, they, you can guess, collided,__

 _ _...on a certain way that Shugo's lips were pressed onto something...__

 _ _...it was very close to the girl's lips...__

 _ _...but not there... it was a few centimeters to the side...__

 _ _...to the cheek, of course...__

 _"_ _ _Oh, look at that!" Toyama exclaimed. "Now that's something interesting to see..." he continued as he saw Shugo and Miyuki lost their balance after the "accident" and submerged inside the pool (luckily they didn't drown because both of them could swim).__

 _ _-End Flashback-__

* * *

 _ _-__ Irie's PoV-

This is...I've known this before. S...Should I evade this time and let Nishida fell inside the water, or should I...

"Irie- _ _san__ , move! I'm going to..."

 _ _Damn, what must I do? If I evade it, then Nishida would fall inside the water and in a risk of hurting himself if he somehow hit a rock at the bottom of this river. But if I didn't, then he will hit onto me, and who knows what will happen...__

I don't know what must I do...Although the answer was actually already there as it appeared onto my head.

 _ _What am I thinking? Of course I can't let him hurt, I've said it to Nishida before! So the choice was already obvious!__

Instead of evading, I just spread my arms to the front, recklessly trying nothing in particular except not letting Nishida hit the water clean and risking the hurt...

-3rd Person's PoV-

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ , what are you doing?" Sekine screamed...

...only to no avail since both young adults had collided and splashed inside the water.

"Irie! Nishida!" Hisako exclaimed worryingly as she approached the two. Yui apparently also headed for them, but the other one just stood dumbfounded.

Instead of smirk, her face showed a shock and suspicion on the two.

"Why didn't Miyuki- _ _chi__ avoid the "collision"?

* * *

Apparently, the two survived (of course) and stood up inside the river...in a somehow weird way, as Irie's hands were actually clutched onto Nishida's shoulder. Both faces just turned red because of what happened.

Okay, I'll spoil it, what actually happened is exactly how it happens at the flashback, since Irie didn't evade the collision and the arm spread actually meant nothing, because Irie's delicate body of course can't match Nishida's toned body's weight.

 _"_ _ _Ano...s...sumimasen__ , Irie- _ _san__ , i...it wasn't on purpose." Nishida apologized as he remembered what happened...

Nishida probably expected a slap or something, because no matter how you look at it, it was way worse than the swimsuit asking thing.

But it didn't happen. Instead she just showed him a faint smile.

"It's okay, I was to blame here for not evading."

"Ahem! Did I come at the wrong time?" the two turned to see a certain brown-haired girl smirking.

"A...Aaa..." Irie was at loss for words, but instead of responding to the tease, Nishida also become silent, but on a different reason.

"Eh...what's that?" Nishida pointed at a part of the river, whose surface suddenly formed circular waves.

Of course, being the older members of the Battlefront, although never took part on the operation, the other four members knew about it.

"W...We better start running now!" Irie said. "The monster's here!"

"The monster?"

All of a sudden, a kind of extremely large fish appeared from the river. And along with its appearance, some Battlefront members were also sighted flying near them.

'The Battlefront's in trouble! I had to help them.' Nishida thought as he exited the river and took his coat and his pistol, then began to run at the monster's direction.

Only to be stopped by a certain lilac-haired girl, whose face changed into a worried look.

"No, you need to run with us!"

"I'll be okay. You can run first, I'll be following you later."

"No, I refuse to see you hurt. You remembered that when Yusa confronted you, right?"

"I won't be hurt. If I do, I would just recover."

"I said no! I'm not going to accept your loss for the second time! It already pained me so much I could die, and I refuse to see it again!"

"Eh?"

There was an awkward silence. Nishida's face went dumbfounded, Irie's gone onto a realization and blushed furiously, Hisako's gone calm, so do Yui's, but Sekine's turned inro a serious one.

"Then, they heard the monster's shout, and all of them ran away, including Irie, who pulled Nishida onto a run.

However, one of them had her thoughts filled with something regarding the last incident...

'Miyuki _-_ _chi'_ s owing me an explanation.'

* * *

 ** **A/N: And, ta-dah! Sekine seems to uncover Irie's secret! And upon this secret, how will Sekine respond?****

 ** **The next chapter will eventually explain the ordeal, and also a little side-events and some events regarding Episode 8-9 (Yeah, you're not misreading it, I'll be taking two episodes in one chapter since Ep 9 is mostly Otonashi's memory recovery which you can watch at the anime.). I'm still a bit conflicted whether Nishida should join the Angel-rescuing thing or I should insert a side event, well, my decision will come with the new chapter!****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while Flames are prohibited, Thank You and See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	16. The Truth

****A/N: Back with another chapter...U...Uugh...****

 ** **Nishida: Something wrong, Kage?****

 ** **Kage: I'm...feeling...dizzy...this shakings inside the train is killing me...(*Restraining self from vomiting*)****

 ** **Nishida: That's what you get from trying to type a chapter on a train! Can't you wait until you're back to your room?****

 ** **Kage: Nah...I'll forget the ideas... Anyway, thank you author Enilorac Eiram and author qwqs for the reviews.****

 ** **For author qwqs: I'm sorry for the mistake, I'll do my best not to fall on that mistake again.****

 ** **For author Enilorac Eiram: Well...that was very revealing! You'll know what will happen next in this chapter. And then...u...ungh.****

 ** **Nishida: Sorry, maybe Kage-**** ** _ _ **san**__** ** **could send you a PM for the continuation? He's not feeling well.****

 ** **Kage: S...Sorry, Anyway, here's the c...chapter!****

* * *

Chapter 16- The Truth

* * *

The group of five eventually escaped into the woods and continued onto the school building. They made their way back to the rehearsal room.

"Hey, is it okay to leave the Battlefront behind with that monster? They looked like they needed help." Nishida asked the group.

"Uh...well..."

"Don't worry, they're okay." suddenly they were greeted by the sound of a certain girl, which could make a certain ex-assassin shiver...

"Y...Yusa?"

"They're safe. Turns out that Otonashi's idea of bringing Tenshi with them was actually saving them on the desperate situation."

" _ _Yokatta...__ " Nishida said, before registering the last part of the sentence... "W...Wait? Does Otonashi brought Tachibana- _ _san...__ I mean Tenshi with him?"

"As surprising as it was, but yes he does." Yusa replied stoically. "Even I was surprised that Yurippe allowed our archenemy to join them, but what surprised me most is the fact that Tenshi actually saved the Battlefront from that vicious monster."

"Well, that's probably she didn't want the monster to kill us, she just wanted that she will be the one to do it..." Hisako replied. "That would be the most likely reason for that."

'Still, I don't think Tenshi really wanted to confront us. She didn't even make any revenge move to us even after what we did to her.' Nishida thought. 'Maybe we can deduce it out one day, and knowing what Otonashi did, I know he would be the first one to know the real truth about Tenshi, and, ultimately, the Afterlife itself.'

"Now, what should we do?"

"The operation had been declared as finished. So, well, you can continue your vacation if you want. But..." Yusa's stare went onto a certain purple-haired guy, "let me know if this lecherous guy did something indecent to any of you."

"You seem to hate me that much..." Nishida sighed.

"Well, with all your indecent things you did from the previous days, that name really suits you well.."

"Jeez, how many times I must say that it was a misunderstanding..."

"Oh, right, speaking of which..." Sekine suddenly interrupts. "Miyuki- _ _chi__ , I want to talk about something to you, just the two of us. This is important."

"Huh?"

"Just follow me..."

With hesitation, Irie followed Sekine outside the room, leaving the two other members and their "manager" inside the room since Yusa also decided to leave.

"If there's no operation, then maybe I'll check the HQ...what about you, Hisako- _ _senpai__?"

"I guess, I have nothing to do so I'll walk around. How about you, Nishida?"

"I...really have no idea. But probably I'll have some little chats with either Hinata or Otonashi, maybe they could quench this boredom of mine..."

"That's strange, didn't you usually make your way to the bridge and practice shooting under it?"

"I've done that a bit too much that I felt like not doing it right now..."

"Isn't that just an excuse so you can find more free time to spend with Irie- _ _senpai__?" Yui teased.

"It has nothing to do with Irie- _ _san.__ Why do you have to bring her up, anyway?"

"Because you like her, right?" Yui outright gave an accusation, shocking the purple-haired guy. But the other girl didn't look that shocked, of course. You know the reason...

"So what if I like her? It isn't even relevant..."

"Oh, so you like her?"

"Of course, she's a good friend, like all of you. How many times had you asked already...

"And how many times we had told you that that isn't what we meant..." Hisako asked. "How about if I change the question: "Do you love her?""

"Is that even different from the previous question?" Nishida asked, before realizing what Hisako meant. "wait...love as in "love"?"

"Seems like he's not as idiot as we think..." Yui said. "Then, would you dare to answer that, Nishida- _ _senpai__?"

"To be honest..."

Both Yui and Hisako focused their gaze on him, expecting his answer.

"Is this the first time you called me with - _ _senpai,__ Yui?" Nishida asked, earning sweatdrops from the two girls.

"Grr...this guy..."

Just then, a knock was heard on the room, then the door opened to see a blue-haired member of the Battlefront, which was also known as the vice-leader of the group.

"Oh, it's unusual to see you here, Hinata." Hisako asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Nishida, actually. Otonashi was looking for you, could you meet him at the infirmary?"

"I...Infirmary? Did something happen to Otonashi- _ _san__?"

"Uh..well..not him, but..." Hinata replied. "You better see it for yourself."

"Alright then. I'll be going, Yui, Hisako, take care."

"Jeez...you're lucky this time, Nishida..." Hisako mumbled.

* * *

-Somewhere in the building-

(Note: Italic sentences is spoken by Irie while the normal ones is spoken by Sekine).

 _"_ _ _What's this all about, Shiorin? Why should we go to this secluded space?"__

"You don't have to worry, I only wanted to ask you something, but this must be kept a secret between us."

 _"_ _ _What do you mean?"__

"Okay, I'll just ask right away, Miyuki- _ _chi__...something really concerns me...the way you act around Nishida- _ _san__ , and how much you know about him really was strange."

 _"_ _ _How strange?"__

"I mean, we haven't interacted so much with Nishida- _ _san__ before he joined us in the Diversion Team as a spy, and so we didn't know much about him. However, you seem to know him very well."

 _"_ _ _Isn't that because you're setting me up with Nishida-san?"__

"You may be right, but that's not even enough to explain how well you know him. So with so much thinking, I think I could guess what is happening."

 _"_ _ _Such as?"__

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ , have you met Nishida- _ _san__ before?"

 _"_ _ _Huh?"__ Irie was confused.

"Okay, I'll rephrase it since you look a bit confused. I mean, back at the life before you enter here, have you met Nishida- _ _san__ there?

That sentence was really like an arrow shot onto Irie's chest. It was a very sharp accusation onto Irie as the "defendant".

 _"_ _ _I...absolutely have no idea what you are talking about."__

"Too bad that it's becoming very obvious, Miyuki- _ _chi__..." Sekine said, her eyes now showed more seriousness. "I knew you have met Nishida- _ _san__ before. Your last concern upon stopping Nishida from battling the monster emphasized it, so it would be much wiser if you just say the truth to me."

 _"_ _ _I guess, I don't have any choice. However you have to promise me something."__

"What is it?"

" _ _If I tell you the truth, could you please stop your setting up and teasing upon me and Nishida again?"__

"I...can't promise that..."

" _ _Then I can't tell you. This is extremely important, Shiorin, and I don't want everything to end badly."__

Sekine had attempted to put a little tease on her best friend further, but when she saw that Irie's showing an extreme seriousness right now, she gave up and took in Irie's request.

"Then, okay, I'll promise. Go on and tell me the truth..."

" _ _The truth is..."__

Irie then proceeded to retell all the truth she had learned towards the messy-blonde-haired friend of hers. She told her everything, all things happened on her previous life, especially the ones involving Nishida. She explains how important Nishida was, how their relation as childhood friends affect both in their previous life, and every key moments they were involved together. And of course, the undeniable and unforgotten...the event that instantly demolished all the happy moments, leaving them stagnant and deteriorating for ages.

Of course, Irie didn't tell the full story of her life, but even with those cut, little scraps of information from the lilac-haired girl, Sekine could easily took out as much essential information from her, and could barely put humpty-dumpty back together, although incompletely.

"O...kay, so let me try to recap...you and Nishida- _ _san__ were childhood friends back then, and also the best of friends at the same time. Both of you kept in touch and kept together even after entering the teenage years, even almost crossing the line of "partners", if I had to assume, but eventually it ended right after one horrible event."

 _"_ _ _Yeah, more or less."__

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ , what movies did you watch? Or are you trying to make a drama script? Because this much looked like it was taken from a kind of drama plot..."

 _"_ _ _I assure you, Shiorin. That was all real and really happened in my life. Don't take this very lightly."__

 _"_ But, your life..really? That was one lovely tale if it was made one, although I must say it would end in a horrible way. If you want to know, I'm really...really sorry for what happened back then in life." Sekine's tone now changed into a concerning one. "Strange that we had been the best of friends for who knows how long, and I didn't even know this part of your life."

 _"_ _ _I can't blame you, Shiorin... I didn't even remember that myself, if not for those dreams I had which ended in me screaming before."__ Irie replied.

"Oh well, things aside, Miyuki- _ _chi__...don't you think that, given that your chance back then was taken away like that..."

 _"_ _ _What chance?"__

"Don't you say that you wanted to confess to Nishida- _ _san__ right before he was kidnapped back then? He's now here, in the Afterlife...don't you want to make it up?"

" _ _S...Shiorin..."__ Irie stammered. _"_ _ _If you really say that...will it be okay for you?"__

"What do you mean?"

 _"_ _ _Is it okay for you if I confess to Nishida-san right now?"__

"I...don't really get it, Miyuki- _ _chi__." Sekine replied. "This was between you and Nishida, why were you concerned with me instead?"

 _"_ _ _Didn't you realize it yourself? What will happen if I confess?"__

"Well, you two will become a couple, that's all..."

 _"_ _ _That's not all, Shiorin. Didn't you really register it?"__ Irie said. _"_ _ _If I confess to Nishida-san, doesn't that mean I had fulfilled my regret in the previous life."__

"Regret..." Sekine thought, before she realized what Irie had meant. "Wait, that means if you confess, then you will..d..dis..."

 _"_ _ _I will disappear, just as you want to say, and just like Iwasawa-san back then...Is that really okay for you if I do?"__

Sekine's concern now changed into a worried look. Of course she didn't see this coming, although actually it was quite obvious if she really listened onto the story...

"I...I need some time to think."

Sekine then took her leave, leaving her confused best friend behind...which was going deep in thought.

' _ _Is there any path towards our happy ending...Shugo-san?'__

* * *

 _ _-__ SSS HQ-

"Otonashi- _ _san...__ I was told that you're looking for..."

Nishida's voice was stopped after looking at the scene in front of him. Apparently he had made his way towards the infirmary. Actually his thoughts were filled with an assumption that Otonashi was injured and was sent into the infirmary. Turns out that it was way different.

Part of his assumption was correct, somebody was injured and was sent into the infirmary. Only it wasn't Otonashi that was injured. Instead, on the bed was a figure that was really unexpected by both himself or the Battlefront.

"I...Isn't that Tenshi?" Nishida asked the people inside. It turned out that Kanade was indeed on the bed, unconscious, while some Battlefront members like Otonashi, Naoi, and Noda was there circling her.

"Yes it is." Otonashi said. "Nishida, I've been expecting you."

"Right, Hinata told me. So, what is it?"

"Well, there are two reasons. First, Yuri had asked me to give this to you." Otonashi said as he gave Nishida another kind of pistol. Different from the other pistols he had received, this pistol had a camouflage skin paint that covers the body, making it look more elegant.

"Wow...a Camouflage .45 Tactical? How do you get this kind of stuff?"

"Don't underestimate the Guild, although I'm also shocked that they could make this kind of painted weapons." Otonashi said.

"Well, thanks Otonashi- _ _san."__

 _"_ You better show your gratitude towards Yuri when you met her." Otonashi said. "And, as for the second reason..."

Otonashi then picked something from his pocket, apparently those are two pieces of food coupon and a kind of letter.

"Could you do me a favor by doing as told in the letter, if you had the chance?"

"Well, let me see..."

Nishida then opened the letter and was a bit surprised to see the content. "Otonashi- _ _san__...what's this?"

"Now...why don't you go try your new pistol or do the things written there? It seems that we're being called to the HQ."

"I'd rather come too..." Nishida replied.

"No, Yuri had assigned you on the Diversion Team, so you don't have to strain yourself on our operations. You'd better save your energy and try to blend in better with GirlDeMo." Otonashi replied.

"Well, if that's the case, then I have no choice." Nishida said. "I think I'll be following your advice and try this pal." Nishida took the new pistol and made his way to the usual spot, though with a thoughtful expression.

"What is Otonashi really planning?"

* * *

-Timeskip: After Operation Tenshi's Rescue and Otonashi's recovered past-

( ** **A/N: As much as how important the Operation and Otonashi's Memory Sequence, I think I'll skip that one, you can watch it in the anime)****

The infirmary was quiet as usual.

After the operation on retrieving Kanade back, everyone else went on their ways, except a certain reddish-haired guy who decided to stay inside, either guarding or just standing near the bed where Kanade laid down, still unconscious.

Either guarding or just standing, his purpose was still the same. He, of course, was expecting Kanade to wake up, although, logically speaking, according to what happened at the operation, her waking up to her original self has a probability of 1%, the rest 99% was either her not waking up at all or her waking up as the evil Kanade.

During the wait, it seemed like Otonashi had lost much of his stamina, even though he only used it for waiting, and fell asleep on the edge of Kanade's bed, his head resting on Kanade's chest, specifically where the heart is located.

After some time, one of the two sleeping people woke up...It seems like Kanade managed to wake up first.

As she woke up, she instantly recognized that someone was beside her, whose head was just below her chest. Her gaze was locked on the sleeping face of the redhead, which showed a tinge of peace, just looking at him like that and she, although almost invisible, faintly smiled.

Not knowing what the intention was, she carefully placed her hand on the redhead's head, stroking his reddish hair gently.

Even with the gentleness of the stroke, somehow it appeared to take effect on Otonashi, as he suddenly reacted to the stroke, resulting in himself flown away from the world of dreams (or we should say, memories?) and entered the world of living...

Wait...world of living? I don't think that words were suitable for this. Okay, so, the world of "Life after Death?" since they're dead.

Ah...whatever, just use "Afterlife" already...

Otonashi, reacting to the stroke, woke up and looked at the one stroking his hair, which was none other than the white (or silver)-haired "Angel" of the Afterlife.

The faint smile was not unnoticeable by the redhead, and their gaze were locked.

"K...Kanade! You're awake!" Otonashi said.

"A...Are you hurt? Is your body okay?"

Otonashi kept swarming her with questions. It was clearly obvious that the redhead was extremely worried on the white-haired "Angel"'s condition.

"It was a grand battle." Kanade replied emotionlessly.

"Battle?"

"That the one who made that promise to you was the one to wake up, it's a miracle."

Otonashi heard about the response, and smiled slyly. Just as told before, for the real Kanade to wake up after the horrible commotion is indeed a 1% chance, a miracle if that 1% was achieved.

And...off she go, and that miracle happens.

Looking at the awoken Angel, Otonashi was then entranced by the fact that the dream of his was somehow not just a dream.

"Listen...I...remember everything."

"That time, when I died, I was on a train accident, on the way to my examination." Otonashi sighed as he paused for a moment.

"I...wanted to become a doctor... I wanted to live on everyone's gratitude. I wanted to help somebody. That's what I thought, and I studied pretty frantically for it."

Kanade listened thoroughly on Otonashi's ramble. She had no choice because it was rude to ignore him, and the ramble was somehow important to her.

"Anyway, in the end, I left my body behind by donating my organs. My body must've been able to save someone. That's what I believe."

Kanade didn't show any boredom towards this ramble. (Anyone knows the reason!). So she just put her hand on Otonashi's face, and began to speak:

 _"_ _ _I'm sure that somebody, never knowing you, is even now still thinking "Thank You".__

Kanade said those words with such soothing voice, that it made Otonashi showed a faint but genuine smile.

"Kanade's words really warmed me up. She wasn't even thinking that I'm a part of the Battlefront that tried to take her down. She's...

 _ _Really an Angel__

Those words just entered Otonashi's head, and as he pondered about it, the certain girl began to call him.

"Yuzuru?"

"Hm..."

"So now, you don't have any regrets?"

"That's right, if I was able to save somebody, my life wasn't such a bad thing after all. That's what I think."

Otonashi began to ponder again on how his life turn out. He was relieved to know what really happen in his life.

However, there's one thing that he suddenly realized.

"Wait. Am I gonna disappear?"

"If you have no regrets, then you're right."

'Then why...' Otonashi thought for a moment, before he suddenly found a possible reason.

"That's right. I still have those guys."

"True, you wanted to stay with them all forever."

"Of course I do! They're my comrades! But...now I have another feeling to...and I start to think...maybe they can reach this stage too...and we can all say __Sayonara__ to this world, and another life might not be so bad as we Battlefront think."

"You're absolutely right." Kanade said.

Otonashi, for the umpteenth time, pondered about it, and again reached a sudden realization.

"Wait a sec...could it be that you wanted to bring this feeling to everyone?" Otonashi asked.

"You didn't know that?" Kanade asked back...earning a confusion from the redhead.

"Of course I didn't! Besides, when we first met, you suddenly stabbed me!"

"That's because you wanted to prove that you won't die. Don't you remember?"

Otonashi's shock now led him to his realizing the truth all the time, that the Battlefront and Kanade had just been spinning the wheel all the time. 'This is becoming so awkward' he thought.

"Then, if we take classes seriously, would we be happy?"

"If we started taking part in clubs, will we be satisfied?"

Both questions were easily taken down just with a simple explanation.

"Well, everyone who comes here was unable to properly live out their youth."

"T...That was it?"

"You didn't know?"

"Of course I didn't! Besides, how could you know such thing?"

"Can't you just deduce it by yourself, just by watching."

'That's right...this a place for our relief. Now I remember: If Hinata had caught the fly-ball on the final of that ball game, he would have been fulfilled and disappeared, what a meddling we have done.'

'Iwasawa's an exception, she could fulfill herself with her own power. But overall everyone was the same, they came here because of the unfairness of life.'

'Kanade was trying to show us that life isn't that bad. She's just trying to show us that life is not as unfair as we think. That's unbelievably...ironic.'

'It was that simple all along, and yet we opposed one another...even going as far as creating weapons, and many other things.'

'If only Kanade could convince them better...'

"How bad with words are you?" Otonashi asked desperately. Turns out that the truth was inexplicably simple all along.

"It's okay, at least you're aware about it."

"Yeah..."

"But maybe, if you're alongside me, maybe I can do it..."

"W...Wait..." Otonashi interrupted for a while. "Does that mean you wanted me to help you?"

"To tell you the truth, you probably should have disappeared by now, and yet you're still here."

"I...could be your first ally..."

"Isn't that what's keeping you here?"

"You might be right." Otonashi said, however his face showed uncertainty.

'But'

 _"_ _ _Until that day, I thought of myself as a responsible older sister."__

 _"_ _ _But everything I tried to protect was just taken from me in just 30 minutes."__

 _"_ _ _Didn't you find that kind of life unreasonable? Didn't you find that kind of life unforgivable?"__

-Otonashi's PoV-

That memories of Yuri...that wasn't right...but...

Wait, maybe that's just right! That's the reason why she kept thinking like that, that's because she kept hanging on that memory until now!

Maybe if she began to think the other way, she might thought about life differently, and this irony could be resolved...

But, can I do it? Along with this clumsy Angel?

How unreliable I am...Is it undoable after all?

No! If I give up, then this conflict will just continue...

What should I do? I...the member of SSS, but now also Kanade's ally? Shouldn't I be the one doing something?

I better ask her.

"Hey, will you help me?"

"Isn't that my line?" Kanade replied. Oh right...she's asking me if I wanted to help her before...

I see...But...what should I say to Tenshi?

"I understand, Kanade. Let's have them graduate! From here, all of us!"

-3rd Person's PoV-

-The Next Day-

"And so, during the last testing period, someone had tried to sabotage Tachibana's test by switching her sheet! And Tachibana had proven her innocence. So, from now on, Tachibana will be returning to her former position as the Student Council President. And after fulfilling the substitute SCP tasks, Naoi will return to his position as the Vice President."

-Detention Room-

"Argh...I can't believe she actually asked us to do this." Hinata grumbled.

"You're right. And so that flying-to-the-roof sacrifice was for naught..." Takamatsu replied.

"Right...only the ones who had experienced it know to the heart! We're tailspin-flight-brothers, pal!"

"You want me to undress?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Do it!"

"Stop it you guys, you made too much noise." Yuri interrupted.

"Yeah, that was gross!" Hinata added.

"So, which one?" Takamatsu asked, confused by the two contradicting answer from the colleague of his.

"Still, I must say that she probably had forgotten the past few days, when we looked like we're on the same side." Ooyama said.

"Yeah, the 100 won after all, the ones that attacked us." Takamatsu added,

"And I managed to think for a while that she might've been our ally. Damn it!" Hinata spat.

Different from the other "detentioners", Otonashi's thought was different.

'Now, to commence our plan...I have to learn about their pasts.'

'So far, I can only recollect the pasts of Naoi, Yuri, Irie, and a little about Nishida. But that's a bit hard. I simply can't do anything to Naoi since he's a bit "overly-loyal" to me, although I found it quite creepy, maybe since he's the Vice President, he could work alongside us. I can't do anything to Yuri since she will found out and apparently opposed me and deepen the conflict. Irie's a dead end because she had pointed out the horrible effect, while Nishida's only half, and I could bet that the other half which is lost must've been containing his regret...'

-A few moments before-

"Kanade, I wanted you to become the SCP again and fight the Battlefront again. That way Yuri won't notice about the plan. But since I don't want to prolong this conflict, I wanted you to move as I told you." Otonashi asked

"Noted, that plan is okay for me."

"I'll be leaving you all alone again, I'm sorry. But, when this is all over..." Otonashi paused since something was bothering him.

'Wait, when this is all over, what will happen to us?'

Kanade just looked dumbfounded on what Otonashi's trying to say to continue his "talk"...

-Detention Room-

'Now, with the plan being commenced. I have to start doing the best I could!' Otonashi thought.

He didn't know, that something will eventually change the direction of his plan, either obstacle or benefit, no one knows...

 ** **A/N: That took such long words and time! Seriously, I finished writing this chapter on my train back to my campus area! Just think how it felt when you type these words, watching the Angel Beats! Anime (Since I took the last part from it) while you're being shaken by the fast-moving train!****

 ** **Anyway, the chapter's done! And this chapter marks the end of the first subpart of the second part, where Otonashi had learned the truth about the Afterlife. Next chapter will enter the second subpart of the second part of the story, and will have at least three focuses.****

 ** **Spoiler: Next chapter will be focusing on a certain lilac-haired girl...you know who am I referring to...****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank You and See you soon!****

 ** **(*Restraining myself from vomiting due to the crazy shakes in the train*)****

 ** **Kage****


	17. Irie's Resolve

****A/N: Here we go again with another chapter!****

 ** **It's been months since I rolled on with this story, and I could see that I'm reaching the end chapters so quickly, and I've looked that this story has already got 9 favorites and 11 followers, the biggest I've ever had. For me, that amount is already a lot since I'm a beginner-level writer.****

 ** **Oh, and if you look at the previous chapters, I have said that I've been planning and writing this chapter far before some previous chapters, but it also causes some drawbacks, namely confusion among plot and some others, so I'm sorry if this chapter is confusing.****

 ** **Anyway, to reply some reviews:****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram:****

 ** **I'm sorry if I didn't reply to the previous review completely, so I'll put it here also.****

 ** **For Ch. 15: Well, you know it. And actually, the "embarrassment" was actually a little idea of me, because either way, an assassin is still human so embarrassment is something unavoidable.****

 ** **Actually, that "accident" on the river came from a hefty amount of idea, like, it wasn't planned to be like that, I planned for Irie to be a bit playful, but that may cause extreme OOC-ness to her and so I made up my mind to find another idea, and suddenly I remembered something I witnessed when I was having a swimming lesson on my elementary school life, and that really happened...well, not exactly like that, but hey, why don't we change a bit and try something? That's what I've been thinking.****

 ** **That line, of course if you read the chapter following it, it was not almost, but it had been absolutely revealing, of course!****

 ** **For Ch. 16: Ah, thank you. And I hope you also recover!****

 ** **Yeah, It's like Nishida and Irie were "bullied" on a low degree, don't you think. I know this much looks like cliche, but I can't think of a better idea.****

 ** **Oh, there's probably a chance, no one knows what's really in that blue-haired guy's head, don't you think?****

 ** **It's about time for Sekine to know the truth, and actually it will affect her quite hard, but I'll save it for later.****

 ** **Oh, he will probably not survive, for some reasons.****

 ** **The Otonashi/Kanade part was actually taken from the Anime, you can watch it there, but of course we all know how sweet and tempting the moment is, although it was not too much.****

 ** **Thanks for the Review!****

 ** **qwqs****

 ** **I'm sorry if I can't live up to your expectation. Yeah, I know about "right man on the right job", although I thought I still failed to actually find the optimal decision. I'm really sorry, I hope you could forgive me. I'll try my best for the future chapters, and I hope I can do better.****

 ** **Thanks for the Review!****

 ** **Guest****

 ** **Well, I already experienced it multiple times, although the previous one was one heck of a ride, so it was much more severe. But thanks, I'm actually felt a bit flattered!****

 ** **Now, to the chapter!****

Chapter 17: Irie's Resolve

* * *

A few days later, Kanade had fully recovered and welcomed Otonashi as her ally. This marked the beginning of Otonashi's hidden plot.

Otonashi knew very well that the Battlefront won't be accepting his idea, and thus he won't be walking on the same path anymore. But he knew that he had some trustworthy friends to work together with.

Starting with the trusted ex-assassin, who had been getting along with Hinata and him for a very long time now. Different from the other Battlefront Members, Nishida was now on his boat when they're on the term of Life. Nishida regretted his life, but not as much as the other members, especially when he had found the "solution" of the regrets he had, although the fact that he still had himself on the Afterlife means that he still got something hidden within him.

Otonashi didn't have to search for him for long. He knew very well that, being an ex-assassin and an expert marksman, Nishida would be easily seen under the bridge, which is also the place for shooting practice for the Battlefront.

And of course, as stated before, Otonashi found Nishida crouching on one knee...

Eh...no...not for that purpose, don't get the wrong idea...

Moreover, two pistols on his hands, pointing at across the river, more specifically, the stack of cans across it.

"As I thought, using two guns consecutively had proven to be quite the challenge." Nishida muttered quite loudly, unaware of a certain reddish-haired guy closing on him.

"If so, why don't you use one instead?"

Hearing this, Nishida was a bit surprised and turned to see Otonashi walking onto him, and more shockingly, alongside him was the person that used to be their "enemy". In fact, the one asking before was the said girl.

"O...Otonashi- _ _san__ , and T...Tachibana- _ _san?__ " Nishida was left agape seeing the two walking together side-by-side, minus the holding hands part. "It's a bit surprising to see both of you together, if you know what I mean..."

"Okay, I know what you mean, and it's not like that." Otonashi answered quite calmly, despite being a bit embarrassed on the remark, while Kanade was emotionless, as usual.

"So, what brought both of you here?"

"Well, maybe I should explain..."

Otonashi then explained about what he had learned regarding the Afterlife, Tenshi (Kanade), and the Battlefront. Like it had been said before, Tenshi's goal is nothing too much different and even supporting the Battlefront's goals, only the Battlefront had misunderstood it almost completely. He explained all to him about life, regrets, about Tenshi's goal and also his secret plan regarding this. Otonashi also made sure that Nishida didn't tell anyone about this, at least, not yet.

"So, let me cut it short; You wanted me to join you on this plan, and walk alongside __Tenshi__?" Nishida asked.

"She's not actually a bad person, you know?"

"I didn't say that she's a bad person. In fact, I never considered her my enemy individually, only then she became my enemy while being part of the Battlefront."

"So, with you not seeing her as your enemy, then you're quitting the Battlefront?"

"That's not what I think you will say, actually." Nishida said sarcastically. "You can use your brain to understand what I mean."

"Okay, I don't get it." Otonashi replied.

"Well...well...maybe I'm not that good with codes, so I'll just say it blatantly: Okay, I will join your plan, individually, not as a member of the Battlefront, okay?"

"Alright, then it's settled." Otonashi offered him a handshake, and urged Kanade to do so.

"Oh, truth to be said, I never had a chance to formally introduce myself to you, Tachibana- _ _san__." Nishida said as he offered his hand. "Shugo Nishida, please to meet you."

"Kanade Tachibana, please to meet you." Kanade replied without any emotion.

'And I thought that Yusa was the only one with this trait,' Nishida thought.

"Oh, right, anyway," Otonashi realized something. "Speaking of which, have you done as instructed at the letter?"

"Um?" Nishida thought for a moment, before realizing what Otonashi had meant. "Oh, you mean that? Of course I haven't. Besides, what are you planning right here, Otonashi?"

"Nothing special, only something to help you jog your memories a bit. But I suppose it wasn't enough if a certain someone didn't join in..."

"And how could I suppose for that someone to join me? I can't just ask her out of nowhere for something like this."

Otonashi wanted to reply, but he also realized that something was off.

'That's right, Irie hadn't decided to help with this plan, I can't guarantee Nishida that she will eventually accept the offer, can I?'

'Then, what should I do...'

"Otonashi, is this a setup? Jeez...I can't believe you could be as annoying as Sekine..." Nishida protested.

"Trust me, Nishida, this is not just a mere setup, this is for your benefit, although you didn't realize it now. And please don't equalize me with her. For now, just go on in with it."

"If you say so, then it's okay." Nishida sighed in defeat.

Unbeknownst to them, one figure was listening from the bridge, driven by curiosity.

The three of them spent the rest of the day doing school chores, or at least, it was Otonashi and Nishida helping Kanade doing her usual school chores, from taking out the trash and dumping it on the giant bin in the front of the school.

* * *

On the other place, about five hundred meters from there, inside the GirlDeMo rehearsal room, the group was taking a break after another daily rehearsal. The rehearsal was a bit different and somehow like the one in the ol' days. Usually, since Nishida was appointed as a part of diversion team, he joined and watched their rehearsal, even he did join in the bonding up a few days before. But now since Nishida had something to do with Otonashi, then he didn't join up.

At least, that was what everyone thought, everyone except a certain lilac-haired girl who listened on the conversation before.

It could have been an accident for her to accidentally listen to the conversation, but the words kept going in her mind.

 _ _Tenshi was actually not as bad as you think. We, the Battlefront, just misunderstood her. The Battlefront was not satisfied with their unfair life, and yet Tenshi gave us the chance here in the Afterlife.__

 _ _But we considered her our enemy.__

Her thoughts then flew onto an event of her life that changes everything.

The moment where she had lost faith in her life, where she was left with a gaping hole that apparently would have never been closed or mended.

The moment that somehow had quickened her end of her fate. The reason why she had regretted her life.

Before, her life was nothing that bad. Her life was beautiful, until that time.

Maybe, if that event never happened. Maybe if she had done something she had never been courageous to herself, maybe the moment would have never happened.

But now, she had learned the truth about this Afterlife, and somehow she was given another chance. Nishida was also transported here at the Afterlife, meaning that Tenshi had also thought that she had to enjoy the life that was lost before.

Her life, with Nishida at her side, playing together, going out together.

True, she had GirlDeMo, she had a lot of friends. But she also had a hidden yearning for the only guy who had been with her for almost ten years of their childhood life.

She had Sekine, her very best friend here at the Afterlife. But that was not enough to mend the gaping hole in her heart, even if she tried to cover too.

They had always been considered as the best of friends, maybe with some other friends too. A life without him was something that she was going to avoid.

Just then, Irie had found out something more at that time when teenage days reached her: Is her bond with Nishida still be considered as "friends" even until then?

She knew it was more than that. She knew her affection towards the purple-haired, golden-eyed guy who had his appearance and personality in a contrast, was much more than just a friend. But then she never admit it, though.

Until the day when Nishida was taken away from her, she never had the courage to do so, and finally her life come into a digression.

Now, she had been given another chance, what will she do? Will she waste it again like before, which might end up hurting herself because of the emerging feelings for the childhood friend of hers, or will she retaliate this time, using this once-in-a-lifetime chance, although with a risk of disappearing and end up hurting him.

"Irie, you're spacing out." Hisako suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. " _ _Mattaku...__ how many times had you been doing this until now?"

"Eh, did I?"

"As I thought. It's been the umpteenth time you went spacing out thinking about Nishida- _ _san__. Oh please, why don't you just ask him out or something before it's too late." Hisako asked again.

However, this time, Sekine didn't smirk mischievously like before on Hisako's words. She did smirk, but one could sense tension hidden within it.

Of course, she expected Irie to go blushing madly and deny everything like usual. After all, she was assured that Irie won't make a move on Nishida because of the obvious reason. She didn't consider that all that bonding up had paid very well, and not counting the accidental hearing on the bridge this morning.

* * *

-Irie's PoV-

Hisako was right, I don't have much time. Who knows if someone out there is also hitting for Nishida, although I hardly believe it. That childhood friend of mine was very scary-looking that almost everyone will run after meeting him. But again, who knows?

But, will this be the right thing to do?

No matter how you look at it, it was clearly obvious that if I confessed to Nishida when his memories are back, then I only have two options, either Nishida rejected me, and that may cause me to disappear in despair (or maybe I could stay but everything on us will be awkward), or if he accepted me, we'll become a couple, but of course I ultimately disappear, leaving himself here alone, just like me on the previous life.

Both won't end well...wait...

I forgot...the choice wasn't really a choice at all! I remember that the first choice won't apply, because of a certain something.

 _ _The letter__.

Yes, the letter that accompanied the necklace he should've given to me.

I wanted to make sure, so I excused myself to leave the rehearsal room and back to my own room, ignoring the questions from my fellow band members.

I quickly made my way to my room, and take the box containing the letter (the necklace has already been worn), and read it carefully.

I chuckled on how bad with words Nishida is. But despite the drawback, it was still a confession letter after all, since he just ended it with a simple _"_ _ _Please go out with me..."__

That being said, I could tell very well that actually Nishida might like me back, if and only if his memories are back, that's something derived as a result.

But again, back to the problem. With the first choice left out, the second choice will most likely be happening. And as I've stated before, it won't end well too.

Another alternate route appeared within me: What if I confessed to him while his memories hasn't returned?

That way looks better, but...didn't I tell Otonashi before that I want Nishida to remember me? Why did I suddenly wanted him not to recover his memories? That was evil and indecisive for me, of course.

But, if he recovered, then just as I had stated above, it won't end well...

My head hurts and my heart aches everytime I thought about this. This is a riddle almost impossible to solve.

 _ _Is there any way to solve this problem?__

 _ _.__

 _ _.__

 _ _.__

W...Wait a minute!

If I'm not mistaken, Otonashi said that Nishida's regret was related to trust, but it was very clear that he had trusted much of us here, even befriending Otonashi, Hinata, and even all of us this close. It must've implied that his regret was not only related to trust, but also something else.

Otonashi also said that Nishida's memory were halved, starting from the kidnapping... Urgh, my chest aches just from hearing that.

And then, that letter... that confession letter

Then, what if...Nishida's regret was also connected with me?

What if Nishida's regret was...that?

It's a bit of a state with miraculously low probability, but if it was, there's a slim probability that this might end well, although not the "Happily Ever After" one.

If it was, everything will make sense, it could explain what I heard from Otonashi about Kanade's role, that she also wanted me to enjoy my youth here.

Yeah, my happy youth together with my best friend, the life which should've been mine all along.

That also explains about the letter, and why Nishida was transported here in the Afterlife, and why he still remained here despite his "lack of trust" regret had vanished.

.

But...again this is only a miraculous probability.

However, there's nothing better if I had to think. If this is the best choice, then so be it, no matter how slim its chance is...

I have to restore Nishida's memories, and I'll make sure none of us will regret it!

But first, I need to tell someone...

* * *

-Incinerator-

"Wings?" Kanade asked.

"Yeah, don't you think it could make you look cool?" Otonashi said.

"You want me to look cool?"

"Well, if you had them you'd look more like an Angel, right?"

"I agree, and I bet those wings could make Otonashi fell more and more...Umph!" Nishida said before his mouth was muffled.

"Cut that one out, Nishida..."

"It's payback for setting me up."

"It's not a setup! How many times should I tell you?"

"Well, I'll think about it." Kanade suddenly said, stopping the two gentlemen from their "quarrel". "So, what should I do?"

"Otonashi- _ _san__?" suddenly a voice stopped them, everyone turned to see Irie calling for a certain redhead. God knows how Irie could find them there. Maybe just pure luck?

"Oh, Irie- _ _san__ , what is it?"

"Can I talk to you about something? Oh, and Nishida can't hear this." Irie replied.

"H...Huh? Why can't I...?"

"Let them go, Nishida- _ _san__." Kanade said emotionlessly. "Maybe it was something you can't hear for some reasons."

Nishida can't reply to that and sighed in defeat, letting the two have some conversation.

* * *

-With Otonashi and Irie-

"So, what do you want to tell me?" Otonashi said.

Irie's head hung low, but her blushing cheeks didn't miss Otonashi's eyes. Her fists were cupped in front of her chest, a pose of a girl who wanted to tell something important.

 _"_ _ _A...Ano...__ I finally make a decision..."

"A decision?"

"I...I'll go with your plan to restore Nishida's memories. I've made my decision."

"Are you really sure? Won't that make you..."

" _ _Ie...__ I know...but if there's a slight chance that a miracle will occur, then even with that much failure chances, I'll take that risk."

Otonashi just gave her a smile. "Well then, I know you can do it. From now on, can I leave Nishida to your care?"

Otonashi tapped Irie gently on her left shoulder. And seeing this as a sign of encouragement, Irie's head faced forward, showing a determined smiling face to the certain redhead.

"I'll do my best!"

"Oh, and since you decided to, can I request something from you?"

"What is it?"

"I had planned something to help Nishida jog his memories, but I know this is useless except if you're also take part of this, so can you do my request as stated here?"

Otonashi then gave her a kind of note, on the same format as the one he gave to Nishida. Irie noticed about this and began to smirk a little.

"You've planned to set me up from the start, aren't you?"

"Trust me, this is for both of your benefits. But I didn't say that you only have to do that, but I hope it can help a little."

"I know, Otonashi- _ _san__ , and again I'll do my best. Anyway, thanks for the "refreshing talk", Otonashi- _ _san__."

"Eh? What talk?"

" _ _Ano__ , actually..." Irie told him about the "accidental hearing" at the bridge, telling him that those talks had made her to think much deeper and to change her mind.

"Sounds like someone's being a stalker..."

"Like I said, it was all an accident." Irie said.

"Teases aside, so what are you going to do now?" Otonashi asked.

"Maybe, going with the plan?"

"If you say so, then I'll inform Kanade not to disturb you. And, have fun!"

Irie blushed upon hearing the last part. " _ _Yamete,__ Otonashi- _ _san__ , __hazukashi-desu!__ "

* * *

-A few minutes later-

Otonashi, Nishida, and Kanade, also added with Irie had finished on burning the trash and doing some other chores. Otonashi had explained to Kanade about the plan, making sure Nishida didn't know about that, and had also explained about his own plan regarding a certain pink-haired member of the Battlefront. Because of that, Otonashi and Kanade excused themselves, leaving the lilac-haired girl and purple-haired guy still in the place.

"Do you have any plans for today, Nishida- _ _san__?" Irie broke the silence first.

"No, I'm not, why?"

"Then, could you accompany me for something?"

* * *

 ** **A/N: All right, that concludes this chapter.****

 ** **Seventeen down, about six chapters left before I marked this story as done, and then I can move to "Sticks and Guns".****

 ** **Anyway, the abstract formulas and theories in my Thesis had jumbled up the contents of my head, so I'm sorry if you're much more confused about this and the future chapters. And again I'm sorry if I can't live up to everyone's expectations, this excuse of a writer really wanted to apologize.****

 ** **Next chapter will cover about "the plan" and probably...well...I don't know if I should also cover the "heartwarming moment" between a certain blue and pink since it doesn't have any relation to this story's main character, but...never mind.****

 ** **Tomorrow, I'll fetch another seven-and-a-half-hour-trip train back to my home, let's see if I could write another chapter there without vomiting, but I'll seriously consider since I myself was not in a healthy condition. And I think I won't be writing for the next few days since I had to prepare for Ash Wednesday (which was also in the same date as Valentine's, luckily I didn't celebrate Valentine (in the heart: It actually hurts, you know XD)), and also the Chinese New Year.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	18. Commencing the Plan

****A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I've actually planned to continue this story just after Chinese New Year, but I suddenly found out that my Thesis was far from done, and so I forcefully continued my Thesis until now. God it turned out well that I'm just a few percents away from completion of my Thesis...I really I hope I could graduate as soon as possible, then to continue all of my stories while preparing for continuing my studies.****

 ** **Anyway, answering the reviews:****

 ** **qwqs**** ** **: Well, let's see that on the future chapters. I assure you his assassin tropes will help much, although I won't guarantee if he'll fight the shadows with or without the Battlefront. But let's just see. Thank you for the review!****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram**** : ** **Well, I agree with you. Sometimes unlikely matches have something behind it. Who knows, right?****

 ** **Okay, I never thought that Hinata could be a stalker, but it would be hilarious if he did XD.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Now here's the chapter!****

* * *

Chapter 17: Commencing the Plan!

"Eh, what are you going to do?" Nishida asked, a bit confused of the sudden request from the lilac-haired girl.

"I...I wanted to..." Irie's face went beet red, although she considered answering "I wanted to restore your memories." but that might make everything more awkward. "J...Just follow me, I need your help!"

"O...Okay then, I guess?" Nishida replied, and so the two purple-haired people went onto a certain place, with the lilac-haired girl being in the front.

* * *

-GirlDeMo Rehearsal Room-

"And...Yeah!" Yui strummed her guitar energetically, apparently finished singing a song.

Er...a song...a solo, probably? Because it seems like her group members didn't even move or play their instruments. The drums were unmanned because Irie wasn't there, and apparently Sekine and Hisako decided not to play until Irie's back from her business, although no one knows where the lilac-haired beauty had gone.

"Seriously, what are you doing, Yui?" Hisako asked the pinkette.

"I'm practicing our new song. We haven't touched it even once, have we?" Yui replied with her usual sneer. "Why don't we try it together? It should be more fun if..."

"No, we aren't!" Hisako said sternly. "Not without Irie. We can practice as much as we want, but it was useless if our drummer didn't join. We're here as a group, not as individuals, you got me, Yui?"

Yui childishly pouted at the remark. "Speaking of which, where is Irie- _ _senpai__ , anyway?"

"Who knows?" Hisako replied. "But with Nishida not with us, I won't be surprised if she and Nishida- _ _san__ ended up doing things by themselves, probably going on a date or something?"

"A date? Have Irie- _ _senpai__ and Nishida- _ _senpai__ finally become a couple?"

"They haven't." Suddenly the blonde-haired girl, which unusually hadn't spoken for a while chimed in. _'_ _ _They haven't, and they can't...'__

"Oh, how do you know, Sekine? Do you keep your eye on them or something?" Hisako said. "Well, if you do, I won't be surprised, really. To think of a good prank for them, one must keep an eye on their movements, mustn't she?"

 _'_ _ _It's much more important than that one'__

"W...Well, y-you could say it like that." Sekine replied, forcing a smirk. "But, maybe..."

Suddenly they were interrupted by a strum of guitar. The culprit was very obvious...

"Hey, Yu..."

Yui didn't even hear the call and decided to continue strumming the guitar and began to sing. A bit different from the previous concerts, her voice was a bit mismatched with the tones she was playing, which makes the performance being put on a bit of a mess.

"Yu...i..." Sekine and Hisako began calling for her to stop, but to no avail. So the two older girls just waited until the pinkette exhausted herself.

Correction...after the song come to an end...because to find this little girl to exhaust himself is almost like finding an oasis among the desert...

"Yui...we wanted to talk." Hisako said.

"Uh, what is it?"

"Isn't it time for you to focus on either singing or playing a guitar?" Sekine chimed.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, judging from our recent practices, and also this song you had just played, we found out that your singing didn't match the chords you played, don't you think?" Sekine asked.

"And so, we think that you should focus on just one of this, either you sing, or you play your guitar." Hisako said.

"But, why not both? Iwasawa- _ _senpai__ did play and sing at the same time! Should I did the same as her replacement?"

"And with the result to wreck the band with the awful performance? No, we won't, miss."

"You guys are so cruel! I'll show you that I can!"

Yui began to play the guitar again. Hisako and Sekine was enraged, but didn't do anything since it would make everything worse.

And, without warning, suddenly their rehearsal room's door was opened...by force. The group noticed this and looked at the figure who opened it.

They were shocked, since they didn't expect this figure to just make her way into their rehearsal room.

"Your guitar playing has interfered the study hours of the other students. They can't stand your playing. And so..."

The figure, which was known to be none other than Kanade herself, raised her hand and took Yui's guitar.

"I'm confiscating this!"

"Hey! You can't!" Yui screamed as she attempted to take back the guitar. "Give it back!"

Yui began to assault Kanade, using any combat moves she know. Apparently because she's a hyperactive girl...or so she seems, she could make a few moves of combat that is applause-able.

However, Kanade, being "equipped" by the power of Angel Player herself, could dodge every attacks given by the pink-haired girl, and, as instructed by a certain redhead, she ran outside the rehearsal room, towards the designated spot she had been instructed too.

Of course, Yui didn't know that everything was an act, and she obviously didn't know that the moment of her "fulfillment" had come.

It starts after Kanade threw the guitar onto the sky. Yui thought that it would be a chance to take her guitar back.

Only to find out that someone beat her to it. And that person was...

"O...Otonashi- _ _senpai__?"

* * *

-Cafetaria-

The two purple-haired young-adults made their way to the cafetaria. There were almost no people in there, except a few SSS members who usually hang out there at class time.

-Nishida's PoV-

Well, If Irie wanted me to help her, at least I expected something like fixing her drum sets or something. But, I never expected that my "help" comes in "accompanying her on lunch."

Lunch, just the two of us, me with Irie... Wait, why do I feel like something's being set up...

As I stood for queuing for the meal, I reached my pocket and took out two meal tickets, both are for __Niku Ramen__ and __Tamago Shoyu Ramen__.

Of course, I'll go with __Niku__ since it was my favorite. But then what should I do with the __Tamago Shoyu__ one? Should I spend it so I got two bowls?

Well, I don't think my stomach could handle that much.

As I hold it, suddenly I remembered something... These tickets...aren't really mine, are they? If I recall it correctly, they were given by Otonashi for a certain purpo...

H...Hey... _ _Masaka!__

My suspicion was proved to be correct if I analyzed the position I am in. I'm holding two tickets, both were given by none other than Otonashi himself. And it was given with a letter.

Written on those letter was actually the instruction of how to use the ticket. It states that I should use one and then give the other one to Irie.

And now I'm in the cafetaria...with Irie, of all people.

Dammit, Otonashi, you need to watch out next time...don't be angry if I'm going to set you up with "her".

But, save the setting up for later. I'm hungry.

I waited for Irie to order since she was in front of me. But I didn't hear her even ordering something.

Wait...if she hadn't ordered yet, maybe I could use the ticket as Otonashi had planned? After all, it's not often that Irie and I went for lunch together, well, except with the others too...or should I save it for another time?

But, if I didn't, and suddenly Otonashi asked about it...

Ah...I don't give a damn about this! I decided to use it right now, and just let that nosy friend of mine's plan succeed...

"Hey, Irie- _ _san__..."

"Hm?"

I put out my hand and showed her a meal ticket. "Here's for you, it would be my treat."

* * *

-Irie's PoV-

Hearing that, I immediately froze. I never expected that this will happen really soon. I mean, I did bring Nishida with me as instructed by Otonashi, although part of it was also my will. But, I didn't expect "that" to be happening right now!

It was just as how it's written in the letter Otonashi gave me. It's almost fully like Otonashi had planned this to happen.

Well now, it also means that this is an undeniable chance for me.

"A...Are you sure? I...Is it okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry." He replied.

"I...If that's the case, t...then, T...Thank you very much." I replied. "Anyway, what did you get for yourself?"

" _ _Niku ramen__ , as usual..."

"I bet you would put a lot of green onions on top of it again, wouldn't you?" I asked.

"Huh, how do you know?"

"Didn't you remember after the second Operation Tornado? That time I did give you quite a lot of green onions and you used all of them." I replied, reminiscing what happen on the meal time after the second Operation Tornado.

"Oh, you're right. I can't believe you remembered that." he chuckled, his smiling face just made me blush a little.

Actually, if I wanted to answer your sentence there...trust me...I could remember even more than that, __Shugo-san...__ If only you remembered...

* * *

-A few minutes later-

Nishida and I brought our meals onto a table for two. Ignoring the stares of some other SSS members who also happened to be there, both of us began eating.

With that said. I never really thought that I could eat together with Nishida- _ _san__ , just the two of us. If anything, this setting almost looked like a __date__...

Well, of course it isn't. I brought Nishida here, part of it was my own will. And that, of course, was regarding a certain purpose, to recover Nishida's memories.

Bringing him a bowl of __Niku Ramen__ , with that much green onions, and eating it together with me, this is actually my really first attempt to recover his memories.

Confused? Well... when we were little...no...on our teenage days, we sometimes go for a bowl of ramen near our houses. One day, it was just the two of us, and at that time, we chatted a lot...correction...I tried to chat with him a lot...trying to break him from his shell at that time.

Of course, what he ate at that time was an exact copy of what he eats right now, the only difference is probably who made it...

Well, at that time, we ended talking about many things, about our childhood friends Toyama and Saegusa, about school, and somehow it also ends with me asking him if he wanted to go out together...

With Toyama and Saegusa, of course...

Back to the present... our setting was actually one that's almost identical to the one in the past. The only difference was we're now not on our teenagers' age, we're not in the world of living, and Nishida probably had forgotten also about everyone, neither me, Toyama, nor Saegusa.

And the other difference that I just realized, is that, both of us eat silently. No one's starting a conversation...

I started to wonder if this is enough to jog up his memories, or should I trigger a conversation?

" _ _Nee,__ Nishida- _ _san__..."

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you about something?"

"Of course you can, what do you want to know from me?" Nishida replied.

"Well, if you don't mind." I tried asking something that had a chance of triggering his memories. "Why do you like green onions so much? And when was the first time you eat that many?"

Nishida's face showed a hint of confusion. "H...Huh? Why do you ask that?"

"Well, I'm just a bit curious. After all, I hardly ever see a person eating that big amount of green onions myself." I lied.

"Well, how should I put this...hmm..." Nishida begin to think about the reason. "I guess, I just loved the zing it gives everytime I eat it. And as for your second question..."

My heart's beating faster. Could I trigger his memories back.

"On a second thought, I didn't remember. But I remembered that the first time I had a meal with Ijuin- _ _sama__ , I already ate a lot of those green veggie. But, as if when my first time eating that many was...I, didn't remember..."

Oh...that's too bad...I didn't manage to trigger it, but maybe...

"But, wait...I remember that I have eaten that much once even before that, but I don't know when and where..."

There's a small amount of memory triggered! Even so, that didn't cover as much as I think.

"Well, you don't know when and where...but do you remember with who?" I asked again

This attempt was actually a desperate one. After all he did mention that he can't remember when and where, but not with who, so there's a very little chance, right?

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

"Do you remember with who?"

As Irie asked that, I felt my vision became a bit cloudy.

This symptom...this is the same as when I had the vision of me in the dream of running with Ijuin- _ _sama__.

This time, my vision shows a kind of ramen shop somewhere. It's name was unreadable by me. I saw myself sitting on a table for 4, and I was accompanied by 3 other people near me.

Is this one of my memories when I was with the Ijuin Assassin? But as far as I know, I don't think I had ever had ramen in a ramen shop, since the Ijuin had its own cafe, and they sold one there.

Yeah, I definitely remember that I never had one outside the Ijuin's cafe.

That being said, then, what was this vision I saw? Is this a dream? But somehow, I felt that this was a bit...familiar?

Then...as I've been thinking about it, I was hit by another thump at my back of the head...the usual thump everytime I saw a vision...

It was really painful that I can't help but to scream...

Am I also going to pass out, just like usual?

...

"Nishida- _ _san!__ "

* * *

"N...Nishida- _ _san__ , are you alright?"

I heard somebody calling out for me, and I felt the soreness finally stopped, and my vision was back onto the Afterlife Cafetaria.

Right in front of me was none other than Irie, her face showing one of panic. It was clearly obvious that she was the one calling out for me, judging from that panicking face and the fact that her hands are on my shoulders. Probably she was trying to prevent me from passing out.

"E...Ergh...It's okay, I'm fine." I replied as I composed myself back. "Sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay." Irie replied. "But, I heard you suddenly scream and holding your head, and you looked like you're going to pass out. What happen?"

"I...don't know..." I answered. I can't explain about it to her since I didn't know what I did see back then, really.

"I...I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked."

Asked? Now I remember that she asked something...oh right, about with who I went...

Wait, the vision I saw...that's probably the answer, right? But, how could I tell her? I didn't even know who the figures at the vision are, but I remember I'm going in a group of 4.

And so I could only tell her that, expecting her either sad or pouty face since she didn't get the answer she wanted.

But, surprise surprise...she didn't. Instead, she showed a little smile and nodded. I wonder why?

We finished our meal and I was going to go back, before Irie stopped me, saying that she wanted me to help her with another thing.

Actually, I was a bit confused about all the things. But looking at the first one didn't bring any harm...well...you can count out the sudden vision.

Since I have nothing else to do, I just agreed with her and decided to follow her.

* * *

-Irie's PoV-

That...was clearly something unbelievable.

Although it didn't turn out like I wanted to, I could still understand what's going on. Though I must admit, it could cost quite hard for him.

That's very obvious, his memory was triggered and so he was able to give some information, although just for a bit.

But, that's quite enough for now. I didn't expect too many memories to be triggered from this first try.

At least, now it shed some light onto me. If I could trigger as much of his memory, there's a bigger chance that his memory will autocratically return.

That's the plan, but...

If I had to admit, the cost was a bit hard, even I can't stand seeing him like that. Just one trigger and it really looks like Nishida's in pain.

But, if I didn't trigger it, then how could his memories be restored?

.

I have no choice...

I'm sorry, Nishida- _ _san,__ I have no choice. I'm doing all of this for you. But, I'll do my best to calm you down everytime you're in pain.

This is the best I could do for you, Nishida- _ _san__ , just hang in there...

* * *

 ** **A/N: Daaamn...my brain was jumbled already. It seems that forcing a lot of progress in my Thesis really screwed my brain up. I hope you can cope with this short and confusing chapter!****

 ** **Next chapter will cover the continuation of the plan, and also what happened with a certain pink-haired girl (which actually could be seen in the anime).****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	19. The Most Precious Treasure

****A/N: My God! Sorry for the long hiatus! I've just bumped up my time for Thesis and have the Thesis be judged on the 16**** ** **th**** ** **, and now finally I'm just waiting for my Graduation! Hope nothing bad happened!****

 ** **This chapter will mainly focus on the last part of the plan, and also a certain scene, well, you know, which is very heartwarming, at least according to me, between a certain blue-haired "which-was-like-a-gay" and a pink-haired childish girl.****

 ** **Anyhow, for the reviews:****

 ** **qwqs:**** ** **Well, that was really a coincidence! I really have no desire to copy that title. However, I don't think it would be a very rare coincidence after all, you know the reason. Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram**** ** **: Bless a little girl's innocent and playful heart! And I hope she's ready on what will come with her on this chapter!****

 ** **I don't know much about Pokemon, but I think it would be thrilling!****

 ** **Yeah, that moment, Those green-onion trait is...well...an uncommon trait so actually it really might help, right? And like you said, memories could be triggered by smell, and there might be something else, but pardon me if it was logically wrong, since I'm doing this out of imagination XD.****

 ** **They will hang in there! (Glances at the two: Hang in there, you two!)****

 ** **I'm planning something for Nishida against the shadows. It could be what you think or maybe not what you think, but just one thing to spoil (and actually is very obvious), Nishida will have his skills against the shadows, when and how, let's see.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Suspect119:**** ** **Actually, I really hope you said this after you read latter chapters, but it's okay. And don't worry, I planned to finish this story to the end since this is one of my favorite stories, so it was on my priority list. Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Without further ado, here's the next chapter!****

 ** **Disclaimer: I didn't own Angel Beats! or the Grisaia series. I only own this story, Nishida, Toyama and Saegusa.****

Chapter 19: The Most Precious Treasure

* * *

At the same time, near the bench on the side of the sports field:

"W...Whoa...you're a lot stronger than I thought." Otonashi said as he realized that Yui managed to get hold and lifted him off the ground. "Will she make it, the German Suplex?"

Too bad that his expectations wasn't achieved by Yui, since although she was able to lift Otonashi off the ground, she didn't manage to do a bridge and her grip on Otonashi was dangerously weak, and so, instead of a G.S., she just threw Otonashi backwards, letting him hit the ground head-on.

The heavy impact from the hard ground on Otonashi's head almost made him losing his consciousness. Luckily for him, he would be able to withstand all of it without dying since he can't die, whatsoever.

Apparently, prior to this, Otonashi had planned to make Yui graduate the first since according to his thoughts, she was the most enthusiastic member of the Battlefront. And so, he decided that she might be the easiest of the Battlefront members to graduate.

Oh, how wrong his assumptions are. Well, he's not ultimately wrong, she WAS enthusiastic, but it seemed like to get her to graduate, his path was an extremely long and tricky one.

And alas, unluckily for him, if he wanted to continue with the plan, then he had no choice but to endure the same pain for multiple times.

"Let me try again!" Yui said.

"Uh...alright." Otonashi replied. "But, could we move to a place with a softer surface? I don't want to cost myself my head for this."

* * *

-With Irie and Nishida-

-Nishida's PoV-

Okay...is something wrong about Irie?

I'm not in obligation to ask her 'cause I don't want to be rude, but seriously?

Okay, for those who might be asking why I was thinking like this, actually...this is what happens right now.

After all the ruckus at lunchtime in the cafetaria, I continue following the lilac-haired friend of mine...Hey, it's not forbidden to call her my friend after all we've done through here in this world, right?

Well, okay, back to the topic. What didn't make sense to me was the fact that she brought me into the school's library. Yes, you're not misreading it, the library.

I'm not exactly a book person myself, so to say that I'm delighted will be an exaggeration. But, if Irie's quite insisting me to, then I don't think it would be a bad idea. I'm just going to help her if she needed one, right?

Though, I have no idea at all about what kind of help will she needed in a library...Could it be that Irie just wanted me to take a book she can't reach?

As I thought about it, I don't think she will be needing that kind of help. Because if I had to say, Irie's actually pretty tall herself, at least compared to the others of the Battlefront. She's just a head shorter than Otonashi, and since I'm about as tall as Otonashi, then that makes Irie a head shorter than me, that's not too much of a height difference, especially after I saw, for the first time, that the books in the library was actually reachable. Even I don't have to raise my hand high to take the books of the highest place.

Then what? Why did she still need me to help?

Oh wait, probably she wanted me to search for some books for her? But, if that's the case, I think she'll just be disappointed since this is, again, my first time entering this place, so I can't easily locate the books she might be needed.

But, as I walked together with her inside, I instantly put off those thoughts. Inside, she managed to easily read the book label information and easily located the books she had wanted.

These facts, utterly had made me much more confused on what reason Irie had brought me here...

Well, things aside, since I had promised Irie to accompany her, I can't just leave the library outright, so I just take a random novel and read it at the nearest table.

Yes, on all books that I've read, I'm more into novels than manga, and amongst those novels, I preferred an Action/Adventure genre with some focuses on killing and sort, since sometimes I could consider myself inside the story, I'm an assassin, after all.

Correction, I used to be an assassin, after all. But since it was not long after that, my taste of those kinds of novels hadn't changed.

I opened the book that I had taken, its title was written to be _"_ _ _The Monotonic-Colored Eden"__. Definitely containing something fishy inside.

* * *

-Irie's PoV-

 _"_ _ _Yosh!__ These books are probably enough." I said as I held some books. The books I held was not all my favorite. Heck, actually some of the books I held probably wasn't of my interest at all.

Well, isn't that obvious? I absolutely am not taking the books I wanted. I'm taking the books I needed, needed for my plan.

The books on my hand varies on the genre and title, but a lot of them shared the same one genre: Romance. And I said that the books are needed for my plan. So, if you already knew my plan, then you could probably say it out loud what you could derive by yourself.

Okay, so basically I'm just taking some books that Nishida liked during our childhood times, or should I say, our teenage times. At that time, I was quite surprised that even one scary-looking, solitude-type friend of mine actually liked romance novels, although if I had to think, that was on the time where our ages were on the puberty level, so psychologically it might be possible.

As I walked to the place where Nishida read, my eyes quickly darted on the title of the first book I've taken. It was written as " _ _The Monotonic-Colored Fruits__ ", a Romance novel with a little hints of Action.

Oh, how nostalgic, since this book was actually the first book both of us had read together, how long is it actually since then?

My thoughts drifted onto that moment...

* * *

- _ _Flashback-__

 _ _-Meguro Park, 20XX-__

 _ _It was a fine afternoon in Meguro, a perfect time for someone just to laze around or doing something in the park. Well, one can see some little kids playing with the see-saws, the slides or anything there.__

 _ _Well, for now, I was going to read a novel together with my purple-haired friend. Actually together with us were also two of our best friends, Toyama and Saegusa too. But they decided to buy something first and are going to catch up with us here in the park.__

 _ _It actually started with Nishida sitting alone on one of the benches in the park, reading the novel he got by himself. He's holding "The Monotonic-Colored Fruits" in his hand right now.__

 _ _Well, I had just arrived by myself, and instantly noticed him with his purple hair that flows together with the breezy afternoon wind. His face was scrunching a little, meaning that he's very focused on the book in front of him.__

 _ _Long story short, I managed to make my way to his bench, and sat beside him, looking at the boy, or probably rather the book. I can't even seem to remember that, or probably am I too ashamed to admit that I just looked at his serious face instead, almost like I'm already attracted to him at that time? Well, only God knows.__

 _ _Apparently Nishida noticed me and closed the book for a while.__

 _"_ _ _Oh, Miyu-chan, you had come. Where's Megane-san and Honoka-san?"__

 _ _Oh, sorry that I forgot to tell you. At that time, the four of us were already innocently close to each other that we already called the others with either first names or some other names. Like Nishida's calling me Miyu-chan, taken from Miyuki, my first name. I call Nishida with Shugo-san, as per his first name. Megane-san is how we call Toyama. His name was actually Tsugaru Toyama, but he's having a strange connection to his glasses, and so we just call him Megane-san (Megane=glasses), and we don't care if it sounds like a girl, but since he's not against it, so, well, just go on with the flow.__

 _ _And Honoka? Of course it was Saegusa's first name.__

 _"_ _ _Both are at the convenience store to buy something. They should be here shortly." I answered his question. "Oh, by the way, Shugo-san, what is it that you're reading?"__

 _"_ _ _Oh, just a romance novel I got in my bookshelf. This one's pretty long and captivating. I just thought of reading it outside just to get more of the feel...__

 _ _I knew about the book on his hand, and apparently also some of the plots of the book. When he was telling me about getting the feel, I just know which plot he referred to.__

 _"_ _ _The feel about the bonding of Kazami and Komine, like that?" I said. (Kazami and Komine are two characters in the novel).__

 _"_ _ _Well, you could say it like that, I just loved their moments together as kids like that." he answered. "Anyway, why didn't we read this together?" Nishida asked me as he reopened the book again. "You can sit here."__

 _"_ _ _Eh, hontou ni?" I asked, a bit surprised with the offer.__

 _"_ _ _Hontou-desu." Nishida answered.__

 _ _With that said, I took a seat beside Nishida, and Nishida extended his arms so that both of us could see the book.__

 _"_ _ _Oh, anyway, which one would you want to read?"__

 _"_ _ _I'm just following what you wanted to read. It depends on you." I replied.__

 _"_ _ _What's your favorite female character here?"__

 _"_ _ _Hey, I said it depends on what you wanted to read, just don't ask about mine."__

 _"_ _ _I just felt like asking. What's wrong with it, anyway?" He insisted.__

 _"_ _ _Oh well, fine, how about Sakaki?"__

 _"_ _ _And that's just what I wanted to open." Nishida said as he opened the parts containing the certain female as the main character.__

 _ _I just felt dumbfounded at that remark. Part of me was glad that he opened my favorite part, but at the other, I felt a bit annoyed somehow.__

 _ _However, aside from the two, I felt something a little different. How is it that I'm glad that he opened the favorite part of the story just for me, and moreso, how is it that when I read the book together with him, I felt my chest tightening, like something's going to jump out of it?__

 _ _We're very close, our faces do, all because we're reading a novel together.__

 _ _Somehow, I don't want this moment to end.__

 _ _-End Flashback-__

* * *

"Hey, Irie, you okay?"

"Eh...uh...wha?" I was dazed at the moment, when I realized that I'm now sitting in front of Nishida, with the books still intact in my hands.

"Irie- _ _san__?" the person in front of me asked again, probably out of concern.

" _ _Ie...nandemonai...__ " I answered. It was then that I noticed that the book Nishida should've been reading was closed, and he, right now, was staring onto me. "O...Oh, you have finished reading?"

"Just very recently. But how about you yourself?" Nishida asked me. "You looked like you're just thinking about something far away, are you okay? You're homesick or something?"

' _ _The real reason is actually you, really, I'm thinking of you.'__ Ah, if only I can voice out those words, but that does look more like a confession, don't you think?

"Ah, no, nothing. I'm just thinking about something in my past life." I said, before I realized that I took the books, sitting in front of Nishida, all because I wanted to do something, and I just went astray from it...

" _ _Nee,__ Nishida..."

"Hm?"

"Don't you want to read this book?" I said, handing him " _ _The Monotonic-Colored Fruits__ ".

"Isn't that the prequel to this novel?"

"Yeah, of course, you'll love it." I said, still finding a way so that he could read the novel and the plan going smoothly.

"Sorry, I'm not too keen on romance novels." Nishida said, an irony considering both novels are on the same series and actually his past self was one romance lover...

"Please, Nishida- _ _san?__ Just a few is okay." I said, now giving out puppy-dog eyes. This was actually a bit unusual for me, I'm not the type to force someone to do something, let alone begging like a puppy like this.

However, if it means bringing back Nishida's memories, and our happy times together, then I had to do everything I could.

And somehow, it worked, as Nishida suddenly takes the book from my hand and began opening the novel.

I waited for him to open the page that I had marked.

-A few minutes later-

The novel now shows the interaction of two kids, a boy named Kazami and a girl named Komine, both are probably on the ages of nine or ten.

That plot was the key plot, that was the page that I had marked that I will use for the trigger. And so I now tried to trigger his memories.

"You know, Nishida- _ _san__?"

"Hm?"

"I wish that we could read the novel outside, in a park, maybe we could really feel how Kazami and Komine felt at that time."

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

Come to think of it, Irie's right. Maybe if I had read this Kazami/Komine bonding moment in a park, I probably could tell how they really feel here in the story. I could really feel how devastating Kazami's past, and the refreshing effect of the park, that's just like how I could feel better after the Kinoshita incident.

As I recalled it, suddenly I felt a thump at my back of the head again, the same symptom appeared, no mistaking it.

I felt my vision began to blur, like I was teleported somewhere far away. I felt my body began to move in chaos. I can't help but only to close my eyes and gritted my teeth.

At one occasion, I could have myself to open my eyes, and it was known that I was in a park, the same park that I had had a run with my father figure, Kakudo Ijuin.

But this time, instead of running around the park, like I do with Ijuin- _ _sama__ , I had found myself sitting on one of the benches of the park. On my hand was the novel, and I felt somebody was beside me, though I can't pinpoint on who's beside me. What I could find out was that I was sitting on a bench, with a girl since I could make out the silhouette beside me to be a girl's, and somehow the girl's presence was a bit familiar.

Have I actually known this girl, that we could read the novel altogether?

My thoughts began to whirl around, and a heavy thump stopped the movement. But this time, not only I felt a heavy thump on my back of the head, I also felt someone gripped my wrist pretty tightly.

And slowly my vision began to blur again.

* * *

-Irie's PoV-

Again, a memory of his must have been triggered, and just so I knew, the price for it was very high. So, to anticipate, I can only gripped his hand, just to give more assurance and giving him more support to endure the pain.

It's lucky that Nishida didn't scream, or I have to take extra precautions like holding my hand in front of his mouth, or maybe some crazy idea like...no, I'm too embarrassed to say it, let alone to do it.

It took quite some minutes before Nishida's eyes went open and himself rejoining the reality world back, with my hand still gripping his on the table. When I noticed, I immediately released my hand.

"T...Thanks for holding me up."

"Eh, it's nothing really, I'm just helping you as a good friend, that's right."

Actually, it hurts for me to say it, but if I said something outrageous, then Nishida will realize that something is fishy, so I won't take any risk.

"So, you got another vision, don't you?"

"Well, considering what happened in the cafe, then you probably had known it."

"This time, would you mind if you tell me about what you see?" I asked.

"Uh, actually I was a bit confused on why you really wanted to know, but since I've done it once before, so I thought it won't hurt for the second." Nishida replied naturally.

And so he told me what he had seen, and this shocks me even further. The memory was very vivid, and much more clearer than before, I really knew that the vision was really his memory since I remembered it very clearly. That was the moment when both of us were reading "The Monotonic-Colored Fruits" together in Meguro Park, and the silhouette beside him was, of course, me.

He said that he was a kind of knowing about the girl, like she was familiar to him somehow... You couldn't tell how happy I am to hear this.

But again, I can't just say to him that the girl is me, but I'll wait until the opportunity shows itself, and our happy moments will be back and, if possible, replayed.

"Ah, so, do you still need more of my help?" Nishida asked.

I realized that my plan's already all done now, at least for today, and so I decided to dismiss him, until.

"If not, why don't we go outside for a while? Today's sunset might be a refreshing view for us?"

There's no way I'm declining that chance, of course. The sunset, just the two of us...

"I'd love to, let's go!"

* * *

-Baseball Field-

-Nishida's PoV-

The two of us made our way to the outside field, near the baseball field, when our eyes suddenly met with a strange "phenomenon".

Inside the field was none other than Otonashi, holding a baseball glove on his left hand. On the farther part of the field was our pink-haired lead singer, holding a baseball bat on her hands.

"You can't give up!" Otonashi said.

"Why did you do this for me, after all?" I heard Yui asked.

"Because it's what you wanted to do!"

"The home-run part is actually a joke. What really matters is that I could move my body, and that's more than enough." Yui said.

"I told you before, didn't you? That I can't move my body back then when I was alive? So this was a ton of fun!"

"Yui...so behind her carefree behavior, she was that suffering back then?" I whispered to myself.

"I had known about her, but I didn't know it was that severe." Irie said, as if she heard my whispers.

"So, has all of it come true?" I heard Otonashi asked again.

"True? What come true?"

"The things that you wanted to do when you can't move your body?"

"Actually...there's still one more thing."

"What is it?"

" _ _Kekkon__ (Marriage)." Yui replied nonchalantly.

Of course, it won't be surprising if Otonashi was shocked with this? Even I felt the same way about this.

"Marriage, the ultimate form of happiness of a woman." Yui replied. "But, I can't do laundry, I can't clean. Not even that, I can't do everything alone. I can only cause trouble. Who would marry such baggage like me?"

"Yui..." I heard Irie muttering the name of her colleague.

"God sure is cruel, isn't he? I had all my happiness being taken away from me."

From here, I can see Yui trembling, her hands shaking the bat beneath her palms. This version of Yui was unable to be seen before. This is how Yui really feels all the time. And Otonashi was the only one to see it, now along with me and Irie...

"That's...not true." Otonashi said.

"Then __senpai__ , will you marry me?" Yui immediately proposed.

Now I know how this will be going. If Otonashi really wanted to encourage and make Yui's dream come true, then he had to accept this too, as one of Yui's dream. He had to accept the proposal.

But, as a close friend of Otonashi, I knew really well who was in Otonashi's heart right now, and I don't have to tell you since actually it was obvious. I knew Otonashi can't accept that, but if he didn't, Yui won't have her dream fulfilled, and that contradicts Otonashi's style of helping.

"T...That's..."

"I'll do it!" Suddenly I heard a familiar voice echoing from another part of the field. All four of us turned to see our certain blue-haired colleague making his way inside the field.

"H...Hinata?"

"I said I'll marry you! I'm...dead serious!" Hinata said, approaching Yui.

( ** **Insert song: Ichiban no Takaramono-LiSA)****

"N...No way, you didn't even know the real me, __senpai__." Yui tried to object, but still...

"I don't care how you were in the reality, when you were alive, I'll marry you! No matter what handicaps you may have!" Hinata exclaimed.

"But, I can't walk! I couldn't even stand!" Yui said.

"I said, I don't care no matter what handicaps you may have! Even if you can't walk, even if you can't stand, even if you can't have children! Even so, I'll still marry you! I'll be always be by your side!"

"The Yui I knew here, she was not just a fake, she's still Yui. No matter where you and I met, I would still have fallen for you. Even with the one-to-six billion odds, even if you're in a body that won't move again, I'll marry you."

I could see Yui's eyes began to water.

"We won't meet." Yui said. "Yui, she'll be stuck at home."

"I'll play baseball. One day, Bam! I will break your window with my hit. And when I go to find the ball, you'll be there. That's how we meet."

"After we got to talking, we're going to realize that we're a match. I'll start going to your house every day, and I'll start learning to care for you. How does that sound?"

"Yeah." Yui replied, sounds of sobs could be heard from her. "Hey, when that time comes, the one who cared for me alone, who tried hard just for me, my Mom, please take good care of her too, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. Leave it to me." Hinata said, ensuring the girl.

" _ _Yokatta...__ " Yui smiled, tears of joy was visible on her eyes.

From afar, I couldn't help but to sniff a little on the scene unfolding in front of me. No matter how you look at it, it was one of the most heartwarming and romantic moment coming out from two of our colleagues, and judging from everything, it wasn't a drama. It really was Yui's and Hinata's resolve.

"Sniff..." I heard sniffing sounds also came from beside me, I looked next to me to see Irie, who was actually crying for good. The scene probably was too much for her. And so I reached out for my uniform pocket and handed out a handkerchief for her, in which she accepted it.

And as it unfolds, I saw Yui began to disappear in front of Hinata, leaving the four of us here at the field.

"Y...You're okay with that?" Otonashi asked.

"Of course." Hinata said.

"What are you going to do now?" Otonashi asked.

"I'll stick around to the end. After all there's still plenty of people for me to worry about here." Hinata said.

"I see." Otonashi said.

"Well, c'mon, let's go back. Oh, and you two lovebirds, you can join us." Hinata said directly at us.

"Eh? Nishida? Irie? You're here?" Otonashi asked.

"It's just a coincidence, and can you please do not use the term 'lovebirds'?" I said to the blue-haired colleague.

"Well, you two looked as close as ever."

"Says the one who just accepted a marriage proposal in such manner that I thought I've just watching a romantic movie." I countered.

"Shut up, I'm just helping her."

"Then, you have to prove it on the next life, don't you dare cheat on Otonashi."

"Shut up! Of course I won't." Hinata said.

"Yeah, for now, I'll believe in you. Let's go back!"

The four of us went back to the HQ.

Unbeknownst to me, each of us had our heads filled with different ideas, and it seems I won't be sticking in for long...

* * *

 ** **A/N: After such crap, I finally managed to finish chapter 19! That means four chapters to go!****

 ** **A little information: If you searched around, you'll actually find out that "The Monotonic-Colored" series I mentioned in the chapter was actually none-other than Frontwing's "Grisaia" series, which means "The Monotonic-Colored Fruits" is actually "Grisaia no Kajitsu/The Fruit of Grisaia" and "The Monotonic-Colored Eden" is actually "Grisaia no Rakuen/The Eden of Grisaia", two Visual Novels by Frontwing/Sekai Project, which had been made an anime also in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Kazami, Komine and Sakaki of course was referring to none other than Kazami Yuuji, Komine Sachi and Sakaki Yumiko, some of the characters in the "Grisaia" series.****

 ** **Since my Thesis was already off the bat, there should've been not many hurdles for me to continue my stories, but of course we don't know what might happen in the future. I planned the next chapter to be 4 days from now, or later. But I'll make sure not to exceed 25 days as usual. I'm currently recuperating from my disease and I have four of my little cousins to take care, so it won't be as quick as you think.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank you and See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	20. The Shadow's Assault

****A/N: Hello again! It's been a few days since I updated this fic. Actually, I planned this chapter to be out next week, but it seems like I've got much spare time and so I updated this story quite faster than imagined, and probably not just one, but two chapters consecutively.****

 ** **Anyway, this chapter will cover half of Episode 11, and the next one will cover the last half, plus some additional plots.****

 ** **As for the review from author**** ** **Enilorac Eiram**** ** **: Oh! Hope you get much better soon. It's a relief to see you feel like yourself again!****

 ** **That much goal, I think I started to respect Otonashi for fulfilling all those goals.****

 ** **Actually, those library things are because I'm desperate XD. I don't know of a better place for the two of them. But since I pictured Nishida more like a calm and silent person when he's younger, I guess associating him with books is better. Of course the library must exist, it's a school after all.****

 ** **Well, you got it on that one. Yeah, but if Hatsune's in the picture, I wonder how the relationship will go, maybe Nishida would go for Hatsune instead and became Otonashi's bro-in-law? Haha looks interesting, but for now, let's put Hatsune out of the picture first, but who knows in Sticks and Guns? Let's see.****

 ** **I'm just copying what happened in the anime, really, the difference is only we saw it in Nishida's view, and we add Nishida and Irie in the picture, just that, nothing changes much.****

 ** **I'm pretty much recovered now, Thank you for your support! And also Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Now, here's the chapter!****

Chapter 20: The Shadow's Assault

* * *

-A few weeks after (Let's assume this way, although we all know it was actually immediate)-

A certain redhead was making his way on the school entrance area. His mind was filled with the ideas for his next plan.

"So, I really think it's time for him now. Though, I had to think, what should I really do? I can't just set him and his childhood friend out on a date, can I? Even his memories still hasn't returned yet. Or should I go and fetch someone else..."

He was walking at the entrance tunnel, not realizing that two figures had been waiting there.

"Yo, Otonashi!/Yo, Otonashi- _ _san__!" The two figures startled the redhead, and, as surprising as it could be, the two were also startled themselves that they didn't expect the other to show up.

"Y...You, what the hell are you doing here?" the blue-haired guy spoke up first.

"I should ask you just the same? Where'd you come from?" the green-haired guy also asked.

Otonashi was just dumbfounded at the two sudden appearances, and also was confused with the reason. "Eh, so, did you two need something?"

"Oh, that's right, where are you going, Otonashi?/ Oh, that's right, where are you planning to go, Otonashi- _ _san__." Again, Otonashi received two consecutive answers from the two different people. And of course, the said two people also looked at each other with hostility.

"He can go wherever he wants!" Hinata spat.

"It's got nothing to do with you!" Naoi spat back.

"I've got business with Otonashi! I wanted to help with what he's doing!"

"Hmph! That's my job. You're just a nuisance!" Naoi added, before closing his eyes, reopening them and looked straight at Hinata. "Just disappear!"

It didn't have to take a hard guess to actually know what might happen, as Hinata was suddenly gone empty-minded.

"Yeah, imagine if you're a toilet paper, the ones that're going to be flushed away. Realize..."

"Hey, hey, cut it out." Otonashi interfered with the two of them, before realizing that Hinata was already partway through the hypnosis as he stumbled to the ground. "Hey, Hinata."

"I'll assist you." Naoi said.

"Wait, you two knew what am I going to do?" Otonashi asked.

"Of course I understand." Naoi answered. "You're trying to erase everybody one by one, right?"

"The way you said it make it sound terrible." Hinata spat again.

"Besides, Naoi, you shouldn't have any more regrets, right?"

"I just wanted to be beside you. What's more, I don't want to disappear before him." Naoi pointed to the blue-haired Battlefront member.

Unnoticed to the three of them, Naoi's shadow somehow looked a bit weird as it moved on its own.

* * *

-GirlDeMo Rehearsal Room-

"Alright, there we go."

"Okay, Sekine, I knew that all of you were unable to train because of Yui's consent. But what's with these drama props?" Nishida asked, he's currently wearing a kind of sleeveless shirt and track pants, as ordered by her.

"Well, since we've got nothing to do, why don't we just do a little impersonation games? We could quench our boredom with this."

"I might be wrong, but you're acting quite weird recently, Shiorin." Irie pointed out. "You usually go with vacationing or playing around with our music instruments, and not with these drama props you just borrowed from the drama club. Is there something on your mind?"

"We might just try new kinds of fun, right? There's nothing weird about that."

"Actually, if we're thinking about the weirdness of Sekine, I think something's really quite off." Hisako said, "During the weeks after Yui's disappearance, you stopped playing pranks on Irie and Nishida, and it looked more like you're trying to separate the two of them instead." Hisako said. "Why? Does the two of them going together suddenly makes you jealous?"

"I...It's not like that. It's just, if the two of them just did everything together, then what will happen to GirlDeMo? We did everything together, don't we?"

"That makes everything much more suspicious." Nishida said, before suddenly a gunshot was heard from the entrance courtyard. "Eh? Did I just heard a gunshot?" Nishida readied himself with his two guns and run outside. "I'll be back."

"Wait, I'll go with you." Irie said, only to be stopped by, surprisingly, Sekine. "Shiorin, what are you doing?"

"Let him go. It's probably dangerous for you outside. Just stay here."

'The more it looks, the more I could say something is wrong with Sekine.' Hisako thought. 'What's really happening?'

* * *

-Entrance Courtyard-

"What's that damn thing?" Hinata asked he continued shooting a weird black formless creature that attacked them.

"You're one to ask." Otonashi said, also shooting the creature.

A few more shots and the creature was done for. Both gentlemen huffed in relief before realizing that another one appeared at their back.

"The hell?"

The two of them could only watch as the creature made his way onto them, only to be shot multiple times from its side.

"Hinata- _ _san__! Otonashi- _ _san__!"

The two turned to see a purple-haired guy holding two pistols, shooting the black creature with impeccable accuracy. In a few more shots, the creature was also done for.

"You two okay? Dammit, what's that thing?"

"We're fine, Nishida." Hinata said. "What's with the sleeveless shirt?"

"Drama prop, Sekine's idea." Nishida said.

-On a building near them-

"Hinata- _ _san__ , Otonashi- _ _san__ , second one intercepted. Nishida- _ _san__ , third one intercepted. Complete victory, all unharmed" Yusa informed someone through the earpiece.

"Second and third appearance, huh?" Yuri, which is on the side of the line, answered. "The most natural conclusion is that Tenshi acquired a new skill, but..."

"It doesn't quite fit, right?" Yusa asked.

"Right." Yuri said, still thinking of a decision she had to take. "Relay this to all SSS members. From now on, all individual actions are strictly prohibited, and every action taken must've included at least two people. We'll deal with the shadow as it's a separate power from Tenshi. Exercise the utmost vigilance."

"Roger."

* * *

-Incinerator-

"So, at least two people, huh?" Hinata said. "We're four people here so I think it's fine, I guess."

"I haven't even decided to go with you. B...But I won't mind going with Otonashi- _ _san,__ of course." Naoi answered him.

"C'mon, the two of you, cut it out." Otonashi said. "Nishida, are you sure you're going with us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't you go with GirlDeMo instead? They might probably need your help."

"I don't think I have to, Hisako's pretty strong herself, and Sekine and Irie were a complete duo, so I see no need to worry." Nishida replied. "Am I right, Hinata- _ _san__?"

"Well, I might actually agree, but..."

"Attention Please!" Suddenly someone spoke through the intercom. "Would Student Council President Tachibana Kanade- _ _san__ report to the Student Council Room immediately?"

"Hey, that's Yurippe's voice." Hinata said.

"I repeat! Would Student Council President Tachibana Kanade- _ _san__ report to the Student Council Room immediately?"

"Damn, what we're doing might've been found out." Hinata said again.

"That would be bad. Let's go!" Otonashi said.

"I'll join you." Naoi said. "What about you, Nishida?"

"I think I'll join too." Nishida said as the four of them made their way to the Student Council Room."

* * *

-GirlDeMo Rehearsal Room-

"I need to go to the toilet." Irie said.

"By yourself? But Yuri said that everything must be done at least in pairs, in case the mysterious enemy attacks again." Hisako said.

"I'll have Yusa to accompany me, don't worry about me." Irie said before exiting the rehearsal room.

The two just stared in surprise.

"O...Okay, now with Irie gone, you better tell me, Sekine." Hisako said.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me, what's wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"Before, you always got some pranks ready for our little couple there, and now you're just trying to separate them apart. Tell me, are you jealous of them?"

"Not at all." Sekine replied.

"Then what? It's getting suspicious as time goes. You clearly are trying to force them apart. Just tell me the reason, there must've been one!"

Sekine stayed silent for a moment, before answering her.

"I just, don't want to lose Irie, that's all." Sekine said. "I'm afraid. When I dragged Irie after the river monster incident, I forced her to spill the beans about her and Nishida, and suddenly the truth changed my mind."

"The truth?"

Sekine then proceeded to tell Hisako about Irie's connection to Nishida, and what will happen if both of them actually became a couple.

"That's it, then?"

"Yes, I'm afraid Irie will disappear just like Iwasawa and Yui." Sekine frowned, causing the older (?) member to embrace her.

"We'll find a way, Sekine."

* * *

-Student Council Room-

Yuri was expecting Kanade to come into the Student Council Room, all by herself. She didn't expect extra four young men to also be present in the room.

"What did you guys want?" Yuri growled.

"We want to hear what's going on." Otonashi said.

"And I, the former Student Council President, and the current Student Council Vice President, have approved it." Naoi said with dignity.

"What makes this your jurisdiction?"

"Because this is the Student Council Room."

Yuri huffed, "Okay, fine."

Naoi secretly gave the thumb signal to Otonashi, saying that it's all part of the plan.

And with that cue, Yuri began investigating Kanade.

"So, what do you know about them? You know, the shadow, the shadow?" Yuri asked.

"I knew nothing."

"You didn't program it?"

"No."

"Could it be a kind of bug?" Yuri thought. "When was the last time you did any programming?"

"Two days ago"

"Timing-wise, that's alright." Yuri said, before taking a kind of phone from the table. "I'm going to enter your room, is that okay?"

Kanade just nodded.

"Alright then, Takeyama- _ _kun, Yoroshiku!__ " Yuri said.

"Alright, and please call me Chri-" Yuri hanged up before Takeyama even finished his speech. "So, what kind of program was it?"

"Wings." Kanade replied monotonously.

"Wings? You made wings? Don't tell me it was so you can fly?"

"No, that's only for decoration purposes."

"Decoration? Why?" Yuri was dumbfounded.

"Because someone told me that I might look more like an angel."

"Told? Who told you that?"

At the mention of this question, Otonashi's mind became uneasy. He knew very well that he's the one telling Kanade to program the wings just so she might look more like an angel.

"It was me." Suddenly Naoi spoke up. "I thought it might increase her prestige as the Student Council President. I, the former Student Council President, and the current Vice-President, proposed about it.

"It really could increase her prestige?"

"Yes. Student Council President. Wings. Would be appropriate, I think."

Yuri was still dumbfounded, but decided to believe what Naoi had said.

And another thumb signal was given by Naoi.

"What an idiot." Otonashi said.

"Hey, that idiot's trying to cover your relationship with Kanade, you know." Nishida whispered.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Cut it out, you two." This time it was Hinata who stopped the two of them. Silly to think that right now their roles are reversed, because usually it was Otonashi to stop the bickering...

"Still, you do now look much more obedient. I can't even sense your coldheartedness anymore." Yuri said, deliberately suspicious on Tenshi's current nature.

"Actually, she's still coldhearted." Naoi interrupts. "Sometimes, she got violent herself and stabbed anyone or anything near her. Since I was the closest to her, as the Vice-President, I was the one to be stabbed many times. Many days when I was just left limp and bloody for one night, and when I woke up the next day, I was waking up in a pool of blood." Naoi said. "She looks like in a good mood now, though."

Another thumb signal was shown to Otonashi.

"Hello, can you hear me?" A sound of the HT suddenly appeared. "Please respond!"

"Takeyama- _ _kun__ , wasn't it?" Yuri said. "Report on your findings?"

"I was unable to find any bugs. This latest program was ultimately ornamental, so it was relatively simple. It would be stranger if you could find a bug there."

"About the other programs?"

"In passive: Overdrive. In active: Hand Sonic. What should I do?"

Again, Otonashi's mind formed an uneasy feeling. 'Will Yuri ordered him to erase it all? Will Kanade have to make everything from the beginning?'

"Hey, didn't you guys hear a gunshot just now?" Hinata asked.

"What are you guys talking about? I didn't hear any sound of gun..."

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard. Nishida, being the most conscious of gunshots, quickly derived its location. "It's outside!"

The five of them, except Yuri, quickly made their way outside, only to see a bunch of black creatures, in which they named Shadows lurking on the field, surrounding some members of the Battlefront.

"Kanade, now is the time!" Otonashi exclaimed, which is replied by a nod from the certain white-haired Tenshi.

Slowly she jumped from the building, and at that time, activated her new skill, which is spreading some kind of wings through the air, and soften her fall to the field. That alone left the boys in awe.

"Wow, no wonder Otonashi li..."

"Shut your mouth, Nishida." Otonashi said.

All of a sudden, a figure came rushing into their position, and jumped from the building onto the field.

"Yurippe!"

"Damn, looks like we have no choice but to help." Nishida said, before jumping through the building and wall-kicked through the nearby tree. "You guys should help too!"

"That's what we're planning too, dammit." Hinata said, before rushing through the stairs of the building. Otonashi had followed Nishida on jumping, while Naoi also rushed through the stairs.

* * *

-Invaded Field-

"TK Explode!" TK exclaimed as he shot a bunch of the shadows. Meanwhile Yuri had struggled and was dragged by the shadow's hand, before she found the chance and shot the hand, causing the shadow to vanish and her being thrown to the ground.

" _ _Daijoubu ka__ , Yuri?" Otonashi asked.

" _ _Daijoubu,__ Otonashi- _ _kun__."

The Battlefront members were fighting graciously, Noda managed to slash many of the shadows, as do Shiina with her agile movements. TK was pretty much dancing through the shadows, before putting up a stance.

"I kiss you!"

And shot his dual pistols critically at the shadow.

Meanwhile, Kanade was activating her Hand-Sonic: Version 5, and swung the claws around while walking slowly in front, just like a sweeper robot for cleaning an area.

"Doh! Never wanted to eat that." Hinata said in awe.

At another part of the field. Nishida was taking out ten pieces of paper filled with circle target drawings.

"Whoa, looks like Tachibana- _ _san__ is on the roll. But that doesn't mean I'll stick around doing nothing, of course."

Nishida began to leap onto the farthest enemies, and tagged ten of them with the target papers.

"Nine, ten, got it." Nishida exclaimed. "Here's one attack that you won't see coming."

He quickly took his dual pistols, and shot at the ten shadows being marked. The marked shadows somehow was forced into moving into a line, due to the marks tagged by the assassin. Looking at this, Nishida took out a knife from his pocket, the same knife that earned him " _ _Shizu no Suraisa"__ in his previous life.

"Here we go! Secret Technique: Ten Commandments!"

One slice through the markings, and all ten shadows were done. "Well, ten-fold mass kill, though I bet the others already got much more KOs intact."

Though, Otonashi saw all of his colleague's action. "As expected of an assassin. Though I expected if he could get more kills from that."

They continued shooting the shadows. However, Yuri saw something more terrifying than the attack itself. Somehow she managed to get a glimpse on the NPCs nearby, in which she witnessed that the NPC had himself turned into a shadow.

"What the..."

* * *

-Half an hour later-

"Ugh!" Noda sliced the last of the shadows, bringing their assault to an end. "Everyone alright?"

"What the hell are those things? Monsters?" Hinata asked.

"They never showed up before in this world." Naoi said.

"Is this a nightmare?" Shiina muttered.

"Is this a carnival, and we're all invited?" TK just sung.

"Maybe we've been too long in this world." Yuri said.

"What do you mean?" Otonashi asked.

"You knew it in many games, don't you. The kinds of creatures that prevents you from being in the game for too long?" Yuri replied.

"That's hard to laugh at." Otonashi said.

"Still..." Yuri glanced at Kanade. "I think she's our ally now."

"Hey! Hey!" The Battlefront members turned their attention to one of their colleague, which is calling at them from the stairway.

"It's bad! Takamatsu's done for!"

* * *

 ** **A/N: I stopped here. Actually the initial plan is that I'll cover the full episode in one chapter here, but when I looked at the word count, I can't help but to divide the episode into two chapters.****

 ** **The next chapter was already in progress, so it won't take long for it to be posted.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank You and See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	21. Last Stand!

****A/N: Thank for the criticism from Guest (though thanks for your message, you told me your real identity, but I decided to conceal it, just let the secret safe with the two of us.), I decided to rewrite this chapter. No Phoenix or whatsoever will be used, and also no medicine etc. However, I still doubted if there might not be any holes. I decided to change the plot a little bit, and I'm sorry if some of it was still illogical in terms of plots or anything.****

 ** **Here's the rewrite of the chapter****

Chapter 21: Last Stand!

* * *

The group quickly made their way to the entrance courtyard, and found Ooyama standing there, startled, and glasses on the ground, which undoubtedly belong to none other than their colleague, Takamatsu.

"These are his glasses." Hinata said.

"I...I saw it all." Ooyama said, his voice shaking. "T...The shadow ate him."

"Ate him?" Otonashi asked.

"When I bumped into him, his entire body was covered in shadow. I tried to help, but I can't do anything. In the end, even his glasses came off."

"For him to lose his glasses is unthinkable." Hinata said.

"And then the ground, it swallowed him up." Ooyama continued.

"The ground?" Nishida asked.

"This...This is way too irregular." Yuri muttered.

Otonashi, on the other hand, had his mind trying to form an explanation. He too, of course didn't expect that to happen.

'What's this? A will completely different from us has started to work. What should we do?"

* * *

-A few days later, Morning Class-

It was a peaceful day in the SSS HQ, if not for the sudden intrusion to it by a certain halberd-wielding member.

"Guys, we found Takamatsu."

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

We quickly made our way to the classroom where they found Takamatsu, and surprisingly we found him there, on his school uniform instead of the Battlefront uniform.

Being one of the most sociable of us, Hinata made his way to the usually-wearing-glasses member, which had his glasses off this time due to it being broken by the shadow.

"Hey, Thank goodness you're alright." Hinata said.

"Alright? What do you mean?" Takamatsu asked.

"You were eaten by the shadows, remember?"

"No, I don't. And what do you mean by the shadows?"

"What's more, you're being swallowed onto the ground, remember? What happened after that?"

"Nothing happened." Takamatsu said. "I just woke up in my dorm and go to school, as usual."

"E...Eh?" I was dumbfounded. I had never remembered Takamatsu going to school, or had he quit the Battlefront and decided to follow the school rules?

"Came to school? You changed into that uniform and came here to take classes?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"You'll disappear! You knew that!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Disappear? What will disappear?" Takamatsu asked, startling the whole Battlefront members that were present there.

"He's in trouble. He's acting strange. I mean, he's usually strange, but..." Fujimaki stated.

"T...Takamatsu."

"That's enough, Hinata." Yuri said, stopping the blue-haired member from asking again. "Let's go!"

"Excuse me, you all are interfering with the class." I heard Takamatsu said.

 _ _Sasuga__ our leader. She was pretty cunning. I respected her for that. Though, I think even I probably could hazard a guess what is going on. Takamatsu's acts were somehow resembling something familiar. Like a __soldier__ or a __student__.

E..Eh? __Masaka!__

"Let's go to the stairs, we'll discuss everything there."

As stated by our leader, all of us, the closest members to Takamatsu, just took some rest at the stairs.

"So, first, Hinata's conversation with Takamatsu had proven more than enough. I am ultimately sure that Takamatsu had turned into an NPC." I heard Yuri said.

"Wait, if he turned into an NPC, you mean that he lost his soul." Ooyama said.

"Yes, that's the most possible explanation." Yuri replied.

"Then, where did the soul go?"

"It was eaten, by the shadows."

"Wait, if he's turning into an NPC, then he's going to classes for all eternity?" Hinata said.

"Again, that's also the most possible."

"That's even worse than dying!" Hinata exclaimed

"That's freaking horrible! That's even worse than being erased by Tenshi." Fujimaki also exclaimed.

"What's more, the shadows are multiplying, too." Shiina stated.

"Then, what should we do, Yurippe?"

Yuri thought for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"Let's gather everyone in the Gymnasium, now!" Yuri ordered.

* * *

-Gymnasium-

-Otonashi's PoV-

Everyone of the SSS, including GirlDeMo, gathered inside the Gymnasium. I had myself still thinking about my plan on the way.

Being as close as she be, when GirlDeMo had made their way here, Irie immediately took a stand near me, no I mean near her childhood friend which stood beside me. Nishida didn't do anything except greeted her. Turns out that when his memories were still lost somewhere, he's still oblivious, as usual.

We were listening to Yuri's explanation about the shadows. Before suddenly her sentence caught me off guard.

"And among these crisis we're facing, there's a faction in our group that has a different view, planning to revise and lead the Warfront to a different path." Yuri suddenly said.

Hey, __Masaka__!

"That path is one option for us to avoid this crisis." I heard Yuri said. "Therefore, as the representative of this faction, Otonashi- _ _kun__..."

Darn, as I thought, we're found out.

"Could you please tell me your viewpoint about the path we would have to take."

Ugh, seems like it's going to go through this. I have no choice right now, I'll spill everything I had on my mind, about life, and about how we should respect it.

"You can do it, Otonashi- _ _san.__ " Nishida tried to give me courage. I don't know if he already knew my plan or not, but we're already like the best of friends so I don't think he'll be opposed to this, but who knows?

As on cue, I walked and stood in front of the entire Battlefront, and immediately pointed out my viewpoint about the new goals for the Battlefront.

Of course, not many of us appreciated changes, and so some people began to criticize me.

"Don't screw up with us!"

"Just give up already!"

"A convenient solution like that doesn't exist!"

"That's right, like this world would allow it!"

As I thought, changes are not as easy to be done as you think.

"It exists!" Suddenly a familiar blue-haired figure walked towards me, ensuring about my viewpoint.

"Yui found it. Even me, who had died as no better than a piece of trash. In this world, I was able to grant it to her."

"And so do I." This time, the self-proclaimed "God" also walked into the front. "Although I'm God, even so, it was Otonashi- _ _san__ who gave back my human heart. He returned it with his words. With his words of appreciation."

"Now, which path would you choose? I leave it for you all to decide." Yuri added for us.

"What about you, Yurippe?" A Battlefront member suddenly asked.

"Me? I was just doing what I want, and I can't look forward to protect you all." Yuri said, a bit feigning an ignorance. "We don't have much time, everyone please think well on this."

"I want everyone to...hear what Yuri said." Nishida suddenly spoke. "This affects you all, Yurippe has done everything she could right now, and now it's time for you all to choose your own path, like an adult who had to be self-caring and independent."

"Nishida's right. Please think about this seriously. That's all. Dismissed."

Everyone of the Battlefront, save for the new faction Trio, Yuri, and Nishida went back to their respective places.

"Do you have a moment, Otonashi- _ _kun__?"

* * *

-Incinerator-

-3rd Person's PoV-

"What is it, Yuri." Otonashi asked.

"I want you to put her to work on a counter-measure against Kage."

"Kanade, why?"

"She's been fighting instinctively rather than using her head, at least what I had watched." Yuri replied.

"Eh, you've been watching?" Otonashi asked, surprised by the remark.

"Well, it's impossible to deceive Yurippe, after all." Hinata remarked.

"But, Kanade is our ally! We should stay together!" Otonashi asked.

'That's just an excuse to be together with Tachibana- _ _san__ , I knew it' Nishida thought.

"But, the other members of the Battlefront are also your allies, right?" Yuri remarked. "We need her power to protect them, the power she used against the Battlefront until now."

"You have a point, an Angel is suitable against these creatures, after all." Otonashi said.

"She's not actually an Angel, you know?" Yuri said, startling the redhead. "She's a human, just like us."

"Eh?" Otonashi was shocked, before turning into Kanade. "Y...You're not an Angel?"

"No, haven't I told you when we first met?"

Otonashi's mind played back the events when he first landed in the Afterlife. "Gah, it's true!"

"A lot has happened since then, right?" Hinata said.

"It's you people's fault! Why is Kanade here? She has been the Student Council President for so long."

"I'm sure she had her own reasons." Yuri said.

"If you look it that way." Nishida added. "Doesn't that mean she also had her own burden?"

"Come to think of it, you're right." Otonashi said. "Then, let's work together to lift that burden, won't we, Kanade?"

Otonashi softly patted Kanade's head, in which it was replied with nothing but emotionless face and a nod. "So, Yuri, what will you do?"

'There's something I wanted to confirm." Yuri said.

"Y...You're going to fight the shadows?" Otonashi asked.

"It depends."

"Why? Shouldn't you stay together with us?"

"After all, I had asked everyone to chose their own paths."

"There might be someone choosing to follow you." Otonashi remarked.

"They had to think again seriously." Yuri said.

"T...That's true, but..."

"If, when I return, everyone had disappeared, and safely departed this world, I'm sure it's all thanks to you, Otonashi- _ _kun.__ " Yuri said. "Don't worry about me."

"No, we'll worry." Suddenly Hinata chimed in.

"H...Hinata, what are you..."

"What are you trying to say all of a sudden? Didn't we form the Battlefront starting with just the two of us? We've spent a long time together, haven't we? That's why we'll be also together in the end, too."

"Y...You're the same fool as always, nothing will be solved with sentimental arguments." Yuri said.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Suddenly a voice rang loudly.

"Kanade- _ _chan__ , I'm counting on you." Yuri said, replied by a nod from a certain white-haired "Angel" which is not actually an angel.

"Hand Sonic: Version 5."

"Then, let's meet again next time!" Yuri said, before turning away and ran.

"Yurippe!" Hinata screamed.

"Hmph! What a ridiculous nickname, but that's why everyone followed me, I guess." Yuri said, before continuing to run. "Thank you!"

The others were just dumbfounded at the occasion.

"Aaaaahhh!" Suddenly a scream was heard, coming from the school building.

"That scream, is that GirlDeMo?" Otonashi said. Nishida, hearing GirlDeMo be mentioned, suddenly stood up.

"I'll take care of them myself. Tachibana- _ _san__ , could you fight the shadows on the courtyard where the first signal was sent?" Nishida said.

"No, you won't! I'll be joining you." Otonashi said. "Hinata, Naoi, go help Kanade!"

"All right!" the two gentlemen nodded. And so, Nishida forcefully ran onto the school building, followed by Otonashi.

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

I immediately rushed to the building. As I ran, my mind was suddenly filled with the silhouette of a certain member of the GirlDeMo, who had been interacting often with me for the past few weeks. The thought of her in trouble suddenly made my body twitch, like anger and panic began to rush onto my body.

I started to wonder why this could happen.

Both me and Otonashi made our way to the rehearsal room, only to find nothing except the instruments. However, my instincts quickly take over my feet, and I quickly made our way to the rooftop.

There, I saw it, the three of them were surrounded by a big bunch of shadows, probably over 50 or some sort. Hisako's at the front, protecting the other two members.

"Hisako! Sekine! Irie!" I heard Otonashi called from the back. "What happened? Why do you guys at the rooftop?"

"Sorry, it was all my fault." Irie said. "After your speech before, we GirlDeMo members made our way to our rehearsal room to think of our path. We do pay a tribute to our instruments as our respect to Iwasawa and Yui, but then I had an idea to get some fresh air at the rooftop. Of course due to the shadows, Hisako and Sekine tagged along. And we made it here, and everything goes like you see right now. If only I didn't ask..."

Hearing this, I walked towards Irie, and held her hand.

"It's not your fault." I said. "It's just a bit unfortunate, but if I were you, actually I might do the same thing. Don't beat yourself up."

"N...Nishida- _ _san__..." Irie said softly, being in awe at the sudden comfort.

Then, I got my hands off Irie's, and put it on my pockets, taking the two guns out.

"This time, let us clean this up." I said. "Otonashi- _ _san__! Let's go!"

The two of us managed to finish off a lot of the shadows. Hisako's helping a little bit while Sekine and Irie tried to find cover.

However, their numbers are multiplying, and it's getting more and more like a wave.

"Dammit, isn't there a way to stop them all?" Otonashi asked.

"I'm trying to think of a way. For now, let's just do what we can!"

Against this much shadows. It's only a matter of time before we were all overwhelmed.

But, if that's what in my head, then it'll probably become real, so I guess I better stay motivated.

I took some target papers, and did another Ten Commandments on 10 of the shadows. But this time, the shadows remaining was pretty many. Moreover it was multiplying.

"Nishida, got some spare bullets?" Otonashi asked. I felt up my pocket and realized that I only have one P228 clip left in my pocket.

Now, what should I do?

...

Wait a minute! I still got "that". I'm not earning " _ _Shizu__ __no Suraisa__ " for nothing.

But, it would be very risky, however if I didn't use that and insisted on my gun, then Otonashi might probably be in trouble.

At this rate, I think giving my only clip is the best choice whatsoever. I can only hope that this could do it.

"I've got only one, use this wisely!" I said before throwing the clip at Otonashi. And such, I relied on my other pistol, the 5.7., and my assassin knife which I took out from my other pocket.

"Nishida, you're using melee attacks?" Hisako said. "Are you crazy?"

"I've got no choice, Hisako. We're running out of clips." I screamed since the sound of the shadows and our firearms disturbed our hearing. "Take this!"

I began to slash on the shadows, this kind of move is very risky. One capture on my limbs and they probably could got me good.

Suddenly as I slashed more and more shadows, one shadow immediately caught my left arm, and I was stuck.

"Holy..."

"Nishida!" I heard Otonashi screamed, and a second later, the shadow holding me was gone...

"That was a close one, Thanks, Otonashi- _ _san__."

"You're welcome, but...Damn!" I heard Otonashi screamed. From his sound I could guess that he's running out of bullets. Which means everything now relies on me.

But, this many shadows, and two clips left on my 5.7, how could I possibly survive this?

...

! Oh!

There might be a way, if I use that, but... this technique is ultimately risky. I have tried this before and it ended quite devastating for me myself.

But, if that's the only way, then I really have to use this. Everything now relies onto me

"Otonashi, take cover! Protect the others with all your might, I'm trying on a plan." I said. Although my "plan" was actually a sudden and risky one. The one which affects me the most.

This is even more risky than the ones I used against the Naoi-controlled NPCs, but well, I should do it.

If you're thinking why I didn't use the Quick Gather, that's because it would do nothing since they're already in the wave. And Golden Gaze didn't work on this kind of creature.

So there's only one way out.

I quickly put up a stance, and readied the knife on my right hands.

"If this is the only way, then so be it. Assassin Forbidden Technique: Flash Assailant!"

After chanting those words, I moved extra quickly from one shadows to another, slashing the ones critically which instantly cleared it. However, I thought we were talking about hundreds of shadows here, so even I had to gamble on these technique.

Luckily for me, none of the shadows caught me off guard, at least not until something suddenly flashed on my mind.

"Damn, why this time..."

This is the kind of vision I had when I was going on errands with Irie, so I actually was already used to it. However, these kinds of visions usually had a toll on either my focus or my stamina, because it puts on thumps and sudden blurs on my sight.

This time, however, the vision was not as blurry as it was. Instead, I was faced by 3 figures, with their faces and bodies clear. I somehow recognized those three, but even so my eyes were focused at one of them, the one with the lilac hair and violet eyes.

I. ..Isn't that...but...how?

Suddenly, I felt something going to seep inside me, and I realized that one of the shadows had captured me due to my lack of focus.

"D...Damn..."

I was just waiting until the shadow took control of me completely...

Or so I thought.

Somehow, I felt someone slammed his body into my shadow-covered ones, and I was freed from the creature. I winced, but realized that it was Otonashi who slammed into me, and now he was the one surrounded by the shadows.

I was still in the technique mode, and my stamina was draining rapidly. I've got only a few seconds left.

"Alright then, this is an emergency. While I'm still in this state, I've gotta used my last stand." I thought. "Flash Assailant Mode: __Himitsu no Suraisa__!"

This technique dealt massive damage to the enemy, but the toll to my body was also multiplied. However I don't care anymore. Otonashi's in danger, and it won't be long before the GirlDeMo members were also in. So, I'll stick with it.

Quickly I sliced the shadows surrounding Otonashi, and made my way to the main wave of the shadows. From there I "teleported" (actually just moved quickly) and made a quick work on the waves. Forty seconds and the wave of shadows were done.

Now, I felt my body suddenly lost all its power, and my vision also blurring. However as it proceeded to blur into nothing, the three faces suddenly popped out for a while, showing their smiling faces onto me.

As I had my vision blurring, and the faces also began to fade away, I can only mumble my apology for the three of them.

 _"_ Miyu- _ _chan__ , Megane- _ _san__ , Honoka- _ _san__ , __gomen ne...__ "

Then everything went black.

* * *

-Otonashi's PoV-

That technique was ultimately risky! What the hell was Nishida thinking?

But, if he didn't do it, we probably all won't survive and are likely to end up like Takamatsu. So I have to respect his decision.

I have seen this coming, as Nishida's body began to tremble and finally fall down. The only thing I didn't expect was the sudden apology he gave to three people, with the name of Miyu, Megane and Honoka.

Wait a second, if this "Miyu" referred to Irie, then does that mean...

Driven out by curiosity, I just asked Irie about the three names, and she confirmed it with tears on her eyes, an assurance to my hypothesis.

Then, that can only mean one thing, and this is the ultimate chance for us, and for Nishida, to fully restore Nishida's memories.

* * *

 ** **A/N: Boom! Another cliffhanger! And actually, with this, our story was almost complete! The next two or three chapters had actually been more than halfway done since I already made them even before this chapter. But I need more time since the next chapters are the key chapters to the story.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	22. Fill-In the Darkest Memory

****A/N: Sorry it took quite a bit longer to update this. I've got some business to do and I had to juggle this story with some others.****

 ** **This chapter will be branching off from the Anime, meaning that it is not based of an episode of it. But this chapter will take place at the end of Episode 11 of the anime.****

 ** **This story is almost reaching its end, and so do my studies since if there's no obstacles, I'll be graduating from uni in seven days. Hope I can finish them in one go.****

 ** **Anyway, as for the review:****

 ** **Enilorac Eiram**** ** **:****

 ** **Ch 20: I'm glad you liked the idea! And who knows, really! My campus had an extremely large library, and I really could imagine that in the Afterlife. Though, the number of floors (6) and the stairs setting could be a little of a problem :D.****

 ** **Well, seems like it. But if I could put Hatsune in SnG...I wonder when should I put her? And how should I picture her, I mean Otonashi is already around 25 or 26 or so at that time, so Hatsune should be nearing that age too, probably 22 or so? I can't just picture her like in the anime, can I?****

 ** **Well, even the naughtiest of the naughty people is still a person, still has heart, so I knew Sekine at one point could be damaged also, despite the fact that she is a prankster.****

 ** **Ch 21: There you go! An assassin's way of life, aside from the killing, was actually quite exemplary, don't you think?****

 ** **Yeah, even until now I still don't know if GirlDeMo members can actually fight or not. I just assume that they probably can, but only at a dire situation. Sekine and Irie was a bit too small in posture though, but who knows in the future? Maybe I could see them holding an AK-47 or something like that? Let's see!****

 ** **Yeah, the finale is always the hardest. It took me four months to write this chapter, and even then I am still doubted about it. I just hope I didn't screw up.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Anyway, here's the chapter!****

 ** **Disclaimer: See previous chapters.****

Chapter 22: Fill-in my Darkest Memory

* * *

-Infirmary-

-Irie's PoV-

For years I have been in this Afterlife, beating my drums, forming a great team with my mates, entertaining people, now this is one of the most disturbing and terrifying event I had experienced.

It was far more terrifying and heartbreaking than Iwasawa's and Yui's disappearance.

This was ultimate tragedy, seeing the terrifying creatures silently trying to attack us, trying to consume us and turning us into a soulless NPC. And yet their numbers are too much.

I knew I was just going to die, or even worse, watching Hisako and/or Shiorin get taken down.

But it never happen. On the slightest turn of time, two gentlemen had arrived on the scene, trying to defend us from this "Shadow" creatures.

We're defenseless, we know. Even our friend Hisako was not strong enough to beat those crap, and most surprisingly, even the two gentlemen, Otonashi and Nishi...I mean, Shugo- _ _san__ had trouble with these creatures.

I think calling him with the nickname I used when we were still alive won't hurt, right?

I recalled it. With the last effort, Shugo- _ _san__ build up strength and used his ultimate strength.

However, its toll was dangerous. After all of those, Shugo- _ _san__ passed out, much to our, especially my, worry. I figured as much, but even so, I can't help but to worry about him so much.

However, he suddenly stated something that even made me stop in my tracks. In the last moments before passing out, Shugo- _ _san__ mentioned our names. By our, I mean me, Toyama and Saegusa, his childhood friends back then in life.

That can only mean one thing, his memories about us have returned, although I still didn't know how much of it had returned. As his girl...I mean his friend, of course it makes me most happy.

Right now I was accompanying him in the infirmary. He was, if not peacefully, sleeping on one of the beds. If it's not my imagination, I could faintly see his smile.

If you're asking why we're in the infirmary, let's go back a little when the "plan" was announced.

* * *

-Flashback-

 _"_ _ _This is our last and ultimate chance to recover Nishida's memories." Otonashi said seriously. "Since we have witnessed that his lost memories had resurfaced, we need to trigger it somehow. So, as the closest to Nishida of all of us, Irie-san, if you please?"__

 _"_ _ _M...Me? What should I do?"__

 _"_ _ _Just stay at the infirmary until Nishida wakes up. Who knows when he woke up and he saw your face, all those lost memories with you could be triggered."__

 _ _I immediately blushed hearing about that. But at the bottom of my heart, I was also worried, if one little trigger resulted in a heavy pain for him, like what had been done before, then what will happen if all those memories were triggered at once? Wouldn't it result in a heavier pain for him?__

 _ _But, if Otonashi said that, probably he got some sort of a plan, so I practically believed in him.__

 _"_ _ _I'll be waiting outside the infirmary with Kanade, in case something serious suddenly happened. The rest of you could probably continue to stay alert against the shadows. I won't deny even after Nishida's ultimate attack, the shadows might still be multiplying somewhere. That's all. Dismissed."__

-End Flashback-

* * *

And that's the plan, so I was "tasked" with accompanying Shugo- _ _san__ here in the infirmary until he woke up.

After moments I lived here, I never imagine that my serious, eggheaded but cute childhood friend of mine, the one I assumed will never be seen again, the one I tried to break his so-serious and so-antisocial shell, __and the one I had regrets for__ , will ever find his way here.

Silly to know that this guy was 23 when he died, which means, since he arrived here quite shortly, probably a few months prior, then if I'm aging, I will be also 23 right now.

Silly for me to admit, but it can't be helped, that this guy meant so much to me, both in our previous life, and this "Afterlife".

I'm too shy to admit, but I have no doubt that since my memories of him had returned, I was so __in love__ with him that I never had my eyes off him.

Falling in love with an ex-assassin! But truth to be told, this "ex-assassin" was my childhood friend alright, so no biggie.

We even had gone on a date ! Well...that's only a classic hang out just to jog his memories and to bond with him better, anyway, but for me, they were so fantastic that they're qualified to be called 'dates'.

Right now he was still in his unconsciousness. I don't know what happened but I started to ruffle his straight purple hair, which looked handsome on him.

But as I ruffled, my hand touched a part of his head. I don't know what is it because there's nothing on it, but I know something is going on because after I touched it, everything began to shine.

"Wh...what is happening?"

Suddenly everything, including my body and Shugo's were emitting rays of light, blinding me. I closed my eyes, and slowly I opened it again after I assumed the rays were gone. What I saw made me shocked.

I'm in a park, a very familiar park...of course! This is a park where Shugo usually go to read some books, and also where I usually played with my friends!"

But...how?

My eyes suddenly darted on a boy, probably about 9 years of age, sitting on a bench under the tree. I saw him reading a book.

That boy, It's not a mistake. He was Shugo- _ _san__ on his younger days. His signature dark purple hair, a bit darker than Yuri's flowing on his back of his head, just like him on his older age.

Then, I noticed someone was approaching him, a little girl, probably on the same age, having long lilac hair and purplish eyes.

Wait a minute! That's me! That should be me in my younger days.

H...Hey...how could that be? __M...Masaka!__

"Hey, Shugo- _ _san__ , I've been searching for you!" The younger me said. "Honoka- _ _san__ was worried, you suddenly just disappeared from class right after school."

"The school had just ended, right? Then it won't hurt if I just go back and read some books here, will it?" Young Nishida asked.

"You know, Shugo, sometimes you have to interact more with your friends. You can play with them, you can help them if they need one. In return, when you need help, we will be there for you."

"Friends?" Young Nishida asked again. "Do I deserve to have friends?"

"Huh, what are you talking about?"

"Aren't you scared of me?" Young Nishida asked, now looking sharply with his piercing eyes at the younger me. "Aren't you scared of this monster?"

"Huh? Monster? What are you talking about?" Younger me asked, before suddenly she realized what he had meant and tackled young Nishida in a hug. That action caused me to blush severely. I totally forgot that I used to do that when I was younger.

"O...Oi...Irie- _ _san__?"

"Don't ever call yourself a monster." the younger me stated. "You are human, just like us, and those eyes of yours are not the reason why we should label you a monster and despises you. You deserve to be a part of us. You deserve to have friends."

"I...Irie- _ _san__." Young Nishida muttered. "But, who wants to be friends with me?"

"The one hugging you right now wants to." Irie said. "Let's play with us. Let's be friends."

"I...Irie- _ _san..."__

"Call me Miyuki, or Miyu. We were friends so we don't have to use our family names." Irie said.

"O...Okay, Miyu- _ _san__ , or rather, Miyu- _ _chan__?"

"That nickname wasn't bad, Shugo- _ _san__." Younger me replied.

And thus began our quest together as friends. From afar, I could see the smiling faces of both the younger me and the younger Nishida, like two children who had just begun a quest for ultimate happiness.

Looking at it, now I could see what's going on. I won't doubt that I had just entered the lost memory that were hidden far inside Nishida. The lost memories that I had to trigger.

Then, my eyes suddenly were blinded by another ray of light. I also felt my body began to move on its own, or rather, it was moved by something I don't know.

* * *

A few seconds and finally the light faded off. This time, it wasn't the park anymore, but rather it's the shopping area near the park. Right now I was standing in front of a ramen shop...

Hey, wait a second! I know this place! But, didn't I visit this place with the others long after that friendship incident?

If so, then, don't tell me I have moved several years forward!

Right on cue after I thought about that, I saw four people walking towards the shop. Of course, I am not surprised anymore that the four was us childhood friends back then in life. This time I saw me, Shugo- _ _san__ , Megane- _ _san__ and Honoka- _ _san__ on our teenage days. If I'm not mistaken, it should be when we're around 12 or 13 or so. If I had to admit, that time I was already sticking on quite much with Shugo- _ _san__ , a bit more than me with Megane- _ _san__ or Honoka- _ _san__ , though those two had themselves also sticking close for some reason.

"Here's the place." Honoka- _ _san__ said. "Let's get inside."

" _ _D...Demo..."__ Young Nishida said. "I've got no money."

"It's okay, the money's on me. Go fill yourself up." Megane- _ _san__ stated. Well, I won't react against it since I still remembered that Megane- _ _san__ was a very rich boy, since his father was a successful businessman himself.

"Then, it's all settled." Honoka- _ _san__ replied. "Let's go inside."

The four then entered the ramen shop. From afar, I silently observed them as they took a table for four, ordering four bowls of ramen, and some stood up to take some extra condiments.

Hmm...wait...extra condiments?

I began to chuckle at the commotion, since I knew exactly what'll gonna happen. I moved closer to the area outside the ramen shop and observed a certain purple-haired boy. Of course, I could guess what he is taking. (If you don't know, you can check the previous chapters!)

Of course, this activity made the other three people dropped their jaw in shock, as the surface of Shugo's bowl was entirely green. I don't know what they're talking about, but I'm sure they're just surprised with the unusual sight.

And then, another ray of light appeared, and each time it fades, it just gave me a scene filled with a memory of the two of us...ehem...I mean with Toyama and Saegusa too. There are some fascinating moments of the four of us, like when Toyama suddenly pushed Shugo onto the pool where I was located, resulting in his lips touching my cheek, in which I had to hide my severe blushing, and then Shugo dancing on the karaoke room while I was singing, an unsightly but somehow fascinating scene to be seen. But sometimes there are some memories filled with just the two of us, like the book-reading in the park, or something like that.

* * *

Then, at one time, the light faded, and I was presented by the sights of Meguro shopping area.

S...Shopping area? N...No...

I instantly realized about the place and what happened in the place at that time, just thinking about it just makes my chest tighten and my eyes started to pool out with tears.

Among all of his memories, why this?

This time, however, I am not situated in front of a bakery. I looked at the shop where I stood in front of, and realized that I am in front of the jewelry store.

Wait, Jewelry Store? D...Does that mean?

As I thought about it, suddenly I recognized a certain purple-haired boy, along with another familiar boy near him.

"M...Megane- _ _san__ , did you think this will work?"

"You worried too much about this, Shuu. We all know you had fallen head over heels to Miyuki, and I could bet the feeling is mutual. She was your first friend, right? That so, she had trusted you ever since, so there's nothing to worry about."

"But, what if I bought her a wrong present? The one that didn't match her or something like that?"

"Nah, trust me, you will choose the correct one." The two finally arrived at the jewelry store, I had taken cover at the little path near the store so they can't see me. Though I can hear them.

"Here's the store, and this is where we part. From here now, I trust you to do this yourself, because this affects your own future, and also Miyuki's. However, if you need help, don't worry, we will still be there for you." Toyama said.

" _ _Arigatou,__ Megane- _ _san__." Shugo replied. " _ _Ittekimasu!"__

I saw Toyama, or rather Megane- _ _san__ made his way back while Shugo- _ _san__ entered the jewelry store. I knew what he bought so I'd rather stay outside.

Minutes later, he exited the store and went to a certain direction. I could guess it would be the direction where my younger self had been waiting.

 _"_ _ _Miyu-chan..."__

E...Eh? Isn't that Shugo- _ _san__ 's sound? But...how?

 _"_ _ _I knew I am a coward with myself writing this kind of letter. And I felt like I should've done something more rather than this.__

I...Isn't this the content of the letter Shugo- _ _san__ gave to me?

 _ _I am grateful that you had become my first friend ever, and kept together with me until today. I really appreciate it.__

 _ _These times, however, I felt something different is emerging on me. I don't know, but I just don't want you to separate from me. I know there is a kind of friendship like this, but, I wonder, if this feelings I got for you, is it still qualified as "friendship" anymore?__

 _ _I am not good with words, so let me get this straight. I just felt like I can't stop thinking about you. I thought about you more than mine about Megane-san or Honoka-san, it was much more warming.__

 _ _However, I can't just voice it out, and I, too, can't prove it outright.__

 _ _So, I can't do anything, except buying you a special present, and writing this letter about my feelings for you.__

 _ _Megane-san taught me how to write this kind of thing, but he said that I have to write one myself, so let me get this straight, and clear.__

 _ _Miyu-chan, Boku...__

And it stopped, I wonder why but I noticed that a black car had just stopped in front of him, and its contents just took him away, replaying the incident that had pained me for years.

No...not this incident again...

"Aahh!" Suddenly another ray of light blinded me, but with a thump to my head as a bonus.

I felt like I was going to pass out.

And, as the light is gone, I'm back in the infirmary, with Shugo- _ _san__ still sleeping on the bed.

* * *

All of a sudden...

"U...Urgh."

I heard somebody hissed, I just looked down and saw Shugo had woken up, a shock was clearly shown on his face.

"Irie- _ _san__ , w...where am I?"

"W...We're in the Infirmary, Nishida- _ _san__." I replied softly.

"I...Infirmary? What happened to me?" Nishida asked.

"Did you forget? You decided to use all your strength to repel all the shadows which were going to attack us. You managed to repel all, but after that you passed out. I guess you're exhausted. Anyway, Thank you for protecting me back there, if not for you, I'll be gone for sure."

"Y...You're welcome." He said. For few times, including now, I could also see a faint blush coming from the should-have-been-emotionless ex-assassin in front of me.

It's now or never, I need to trigger his memories right now, while that dream was still fresh on him.

"So, how was your sleep, Nishida- _ _san__?"

Of course, he was taken aback by my question. And after I asked that I just blushed myself. I sounded like a nurse...

"W...Well, it's good, anyway."

"Did you have sweet dreams?"

O...Okay, why did I ask that, but well, it's already spoken out.

"W...Well, I think I do, although it's not entirely sweet."

"Oh, if it's okay with you." I asked, stuttering. "W...Would you mind if...if...you tell me your dream?"

" _ _Ore?__ " Nishida asked in confusion. "W...Why did you want to know?"

"W...Well, it's okay if you don't..." I frowned.

" _ _Chotto matte...__ " he stopped me. "I'll tell you."

So Nishida told me exactly the same memory that I witnessed. So what I saw was really his memory, his memory was returning!

But, if it returned...then...

"Wait a second." Nishida came to a realization.

"Huh?"

"Y...You, you're in my dream, I knew it."

It's about time he recognized.

"I remember, I saved you from the bullies in the middle school, then we became close, and..."

I blushed, expecting that moment.

"I bought some kind of necklace for you when we're older. An opal necklace, and I was on my back to you when..."

Without hesitation, I put my index finger on his lips, silencing him. "You can stop there, Nishida- _ _san__."

I gently reached my neck, and slowly took off my necklace that I had worn for so many years, but eventually I began to wear it again recently. I showed him the necklace.

"T...That necklace..."

I began to smile,

"Yes, this is the necklace that you bought to me when we're alive before." I explained, earning a shock from the boy. "The dream you had, was actually your past memories which returned to you."

"S...So, you mean..."

"Those events in your dream is actually real. They did happen, you really did protect me from the bullies at middle school, and you really did bought me that necklace, and sadly, the kidnapping also did happen. I already knew it all, Shugo- _ _san__ "

My eyes didn't fail me, but I could see tears forming on his eyes. All of a sudden he grabbed me into a tight hug.

"Y...You're...Miyu- _ _chan__. __H...Hontou ni gomen-nasai!__ "

Eh? Miyu- _ _chan__ , that's...

"I beg your pardon?"

"I...I'm sorry for leaving you like that, for worrying you so badly."

I just continued to smile, now with Shugo's warmth enveloping me. He must've referred to that horrible moment.

It was clearly obvious that it wasn't his fault at all. We knew it was just a horrible coincidence.

He had been going for me. He's not leaving me by his own will.

"I...It's alright, Shugo- _ _san__."

"Eh?"

"That wasn't your fault. At least now we can see each other again, even though it took a very long time."

"B...But."

I felt Nishida now grabbed my shoulder, and now our eyes met each other: my purplish blue with his piercing gold.

"Look at me, Miyu- _ _chan__ , I'm not the same Shugo Nishida that you know. I've been contracted as an assassin and took a lot of lives. I had nothing but desire to kill. Do you think you can accept a friend like that?"

Tears started to leak out of him, I could see his pure sadness and loneliness from them. This is almost the same as the first time when we became friends. This time, however, he just spoke the truth, he had been killing many people since he was an assassin outright. Before, the Shugo- _ _san__ that interacted with me was an innocent, cute, and peace-loving boy that deserved a lot of friends. But now, or rather, on his last moments, he had been contracted as an assassin and killed many people. His innocent heart should have been shattered and was replaced by a cruel heart. He should've become a cold-blooded person, even here in the Afterlife since he only retained his memories as an assassin.

But, my eyes ignored that part. No matter how much he had changed, he was still...

Without warning, and even I unconsciously moved, as I hugged him, tighter than before.

"No, you deserve to have friends. You have a lot of friends here now. You have Otonashi- _ _san__ , You have Hinata- _ _san,__ You have Hisako, Shiorin, and me. We're your friends. And it doesn't matter if you were an assassin, you're still the same Shugo- _ _san__ I know, who, like your name, always protected everybody from harm."

"Miyu- _ _chan__." Nishida softly whispered. " _ _Tadaima__ , will you still accept me?"

" _ _Okaeri__ , Shugo- _ _san__ , I'll always accept you."

We continued to hug, feeling the warmth given and taken from him. Until I realized, there's still one part of the dream that he hadn't pointed out.

"Um...Shugo- _ _san__ "

"Hm?"

"I...never got the chance to reply on what you wrote on the paper when you gave me the necklace." I said, blushing.

Shugo went wide-eyed. "Y...You read it? How?"

"It was beside the necklace, so of course I just read it."

Nishida's face begun to turn red.

"So...um...Shugo- _ _san__...I..." I also found myself blushing and was at loss of words. All of a sudden, I felt his fingers on my lips too.

"Don't say it." He retorted softly.

"Eh...but..."

"Don't say it now." He repeated. "We're just being reunited, and I don't want this moment to just end like that."

"Eh, h...how did you..."

"Sekine- _ _san__ told me the other day..."

* * *

-Flashback-

-3rd Person's PoV-

 _"Nishida-san, can you break up with Miyuki-chi?"_

 _Of course, that sentence was not expected from the best friend of Irie. Nishida was confused why Sekine suddenly said something like this._

 _"Sekine, is this another prank of yours?"_

 _"Does it look like a prank to you?" Sekine spat. It's very unusual to see Sekine angry, at least that was what Nishida think. "Ever since you began dating, Miyuki-chi's getting more distant with me, did you know that? I'm her best friend, and yet you took her from me."_

 _"Sekine..."_

 _"She's now chosen you instead of me, she didn't see me as her best f..."_

 _"Shiori Sekine!" Nishida shouted, earning a shock from the prankster blonde. "One, we are not dating, and two, who said that Irie was distant with you?"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"She did try to know me better, but that doesn't mean she had forgotten about you. You are still her best friend and you know it. She's only trying to help me blend with you all better. It has nothing to do with friendship or anything. Even if it does, it is for the good."_

 _Sekine seemed unwavering_

 _"But, Nishida-san, I don't want to lose her, I don't want her to go away."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Believe it or not, your existence had affected Miyuki-chi as much. As her best friend, I know her burden, and it lies within you."_

 _"H...Huh? What do you mean?" Nishida was utterly confused._

 _"Her regret is that she didn't have a chance to confess to you during your previous life. If you're too close and she confessed to you, she'll disappear."_

 _"Wait a minute. How can that be? I just met Irie-san here in the Afterlife."_

 _"No, you had met her before, but those memories didn't exist in you, that's the only explanation I could think."_

 _"I'll seriously consider about it, Sekine-san. You don't have to worry. You won't lose your best friend because of me."_

 _"Promise me, Nishida-san," Sekine said._

 _"Promise, as long as you didn't pull out a prank on us again." Nishida said._

 _"Well, I can't guarantee on that."_

 _-End Flashback-_

* * *

"S...Shiorin," Irie looked a bit angry on her best friend.

"Now...now, don't blame it on her. I know how she felt, she's just too afraid of losing you."

"But, then, with this condition now, shouldn't we follow Otonashi's plan and quickly leave this Afterlife?" Irie asked, followed by a nod from the purple-haired boy

"I'd like to agree. But, allow me to repay on what you had done to me before." Nishida replied.

"Eh?"

"You and the others, especially you yourself, had worked so hard to bring back my memories, even asked me to go out with you for the same reason. So, before we disappear, I wanted to repay you."

"S...Shugo- _ _san__."

"Miyu- _ _chan__ , w...would you like to go out with me tomorrow? For the last time here." Nishida asked.

"I...I..." Irie stammered, she didn't expect Nishida to ask her out like this. 'But...the shadows..."

"It's okay." Nishida said. " _ _Donna toki demo, kimi no subete mamoritai__ (This time, I will protect you wholly)"

Irie blushed hearing the "quote" given by her best friend (back in life), and decided to give him an answer.

"I'd love to, Shugo- _ _san__. W...What time?"

"How about 10 o'clock? We can go to some places together on our last day, and I wanted to cherish it with you."

"I think it's okay." Irie replied. "Anyway, I should go back to my room. It's getting late."

"Wait a minute, Miyu- _ _chan__."

Irie stopped in her tracks. Nishida got up and followed her. "Since the shadows are multiplying, and Yuri used to say that every action must be done in pairs, then I was just wondering, if you want to sleep in my dorm..."

"E...Eh...EHHH...?" Irie was shocked, her face flustered, that was a bold move from Nishida, if you might want to say. "B...But..."

"Relax, I'll be taking the carpet, and it's going to be okay." He said.

"O...Okay, I trust you, Shugo- _ _san__."

"Of course, Miyu- _ _chan__ "

* * *

-Outside the Infirmary-

Otonashi and Sekine heard the whole thing. Sekine was in chaos. One part of her squealed on Irie's and Nishida's cuteness, but at the same time, she was depressed because the next day will be their last day together.

Otonashi, on the other hand, just smiled in satisfaction.

"Irie- _ _san__ , you did a good job."

* * *

 ** **A/N: That ends the chapter. Seriously I had been writing this chapter for four months or more already, and I don't know if I should be satisfied with the result or not.****

 ** **Oh, and one important thing. I'll be inserting one song, a full song, at the next chapter. I just want to ask, is it prohibited or not? And is there any rules regarding the song inserted (like, you have to put a disclaimer or something?), I hope you all can help me by answering my question within your review, because I don't want this story to end because of it being reported due to rules-breaking.****

 ** **Oh yeah, the next chapter will actually be the last chapter before a little epilogue, and I just can't believe that I almost finished this story. Hope I didn't screw up on the last chapters.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are Appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	23. A Spicy Last Date

****A/N: I can't believe it. I managed to reach this far with this story! Thanks for the reviews and feedback from you all!****

 ** **A few days ago I just checked the Reddit site/forum about song lyrics in Fanfiction. A lot of users there said that lyrics are somehow prohibited in Fanfiction, and so I decided not to include them. However a few sentences might be taken to emphasize how surreal is the connection between the song and our couple's relationship right now.****

 ** **The song that will be used is "Au Tabi Suki ni Natte (Everytime I see you, I immediately fall in love)" by BRIGHT, so of course I do not own it. You can search for the full lyrics and the translations in the net.****

 ** **As for the review from**** ** **Enilorac Eiram**** ** **: I agree with you there, actually I wanted to make it be seen that the part Irie touched is the part where Nishida was shot to his death, but I don't know if it was implicated somehow.****

 ** **Nine-year olds usually could be easily frightened by scary things, but sometimes if that scary thing was actually something contrast, maybe they would approach it instead.****

 ** **Yeah, there goes the personality change, like finally after the mysterious and the**** ** _ _ **tsun-tsun**__** ** **act from Nishida, at least we can get a glimpse of his "**** ** _ _ **dere**__** **"** ** **mode, especially to someone who he already known for years.****

 ** **Sekine's just worried, that's all. But even worries might cause something like that, right?****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Anyway, this chapter will be a bit longer since I forced this part to be one chapter although it actually somehow could be split in two. But let's just go with it!****

 ** **Before you are confused, I must say that since Nishida had his memories back, his personality might change a bit. So do not be confused if you could see Nishida being a bit teasing, sputtering cheesy lines, or something like that, since well...you know.****

 ** **Well, one more thing, I have NEVER gone on dates so expect plotholes and some inappropriate lines. I'll be happy if anyone could give me feedback on this (maybe some of them might be appropriate for me as a reference if I go on a date one day).****

 ** **Here's the chapter!****

Chapter 23: A Spicy Last Date

 _ _Filling in the Dark Beats of My Heart...__

* * *

It was the next day after Nishida's memory refresher, and the day after Otonashi showed the Battlefront the real meaning of life.

Irie had just woken up on Nishida's bed. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of Nishida wearing only sleeveless T-shirt and green track pants. His body was sweating and on his hand was a cool green tea bottle. The T-shirt was more or less tight, which apparently had made his toned muscles be visible. That alone had made Irie blush fiercely, despite the fact that she had seen him topless before.

"Oh, you're awake." Nishida said, greeting his childhood friend. "How was your sleep last night?"

"I couldn't sleep quite well, to be honest." Irie replied, a little black spots could be seen on her eyes due to less amount of sleep than usual.

"Eh, really? Is my bed uncomfortable? I'm sorry if it did."

"No, it w...wasn't uncomfortable." Irie said, trying to soothe Nishida's frowning face. "It was just...I'm a bit too enthusiastic on our d..date today that I couldn't sleep just to think about that." Irie stammered, embarrassed by what she said by herself.

Surprisingly, that sentence also made the ex-assassin blush, and also smiled at the lilac-haired beauty in front of him.

"You're cute, Miyu- _ _chan__ , you know that." Nishida teased. Well, since Nishida's memories had returned, Nishida might have acted quite differently from usual, and more like his teenage personlity since in front of him was the girl that was already with him for several years in the previous life.

"S...Stop it, Shugo- _ _san__ , you're embarrassing me." Irie replied shyly.

Unnoticed to the 'couple', two certain girls are standing in front of Nishida's door. One looked quite stoic with a hint of smile, standing a bit distanced with the door. However the other one was leaning at the door, her face showed a sultry smirk.

"Looks like Miyuki- _ _chi__ and Nishida- _ _san__ were enjoying themselves. They were quite cute themselves if you heard them." Sekine smirked. "I had suspected that Nishida's real personality would be shown when he was alone with Miyuki- _ _chi__ , especially after his memories came back."

"Well, we never knew that Irie and Nishida were long-lost lovers, right? Nishida was a scary-looking boy with a quirk of delinquency, a contrast with our Irie. But we can't judge the book by its cover." Hisako said.

"Should we interrupt their time?" Sekine hinted, her smirk growing a bit wider.

"Well, I don't think it's okay, but we have to, anyway. We don't want to just wait until God knows when they finished, right?"

"Right, here goes nothing."

Sekine got up from the leaning and knocked at the room, startling the two purple-haired young adults inside.

"I'll get it." Nishida made his way to his dorm room's door and opened it to see the other existing GirlDeMo members waiting outside. Hisako was looking cool as usual, but Sekine looked a bit different. Instead of a wicked grin or smirk, her face showed a hint of shock and her face was beet red.

"My God! D...Did you..."

"What? Something's wrong?" Nishida asked.

"Y...You...your outfit, and Miyuki- _ _chi,__ I didn't expect your first night to be that hot...

"What are you talking about?" Nishida asked, still processing on the strange remark.

"Did you screw her really hard? You sweat pretty badly."

Nishida's face turned red as he registered what Sekine had meant. "What a pervert...of course we don't...you know very well what will happen if we really did it last night, don't you?"

"Oh, right." Sekine replied, acknowledging what Nishida had meant.

"Anyway, what brings both of you here?" Nishida asked the two girls.

"Oh, we're just going to tell you to prepare yourself. We're going to pay a last visit to Otonashi, showing him some gratitude from his speech yesterday." Hisako said.

"And of course preparing yourself for your date this noon, right?" Sekine chimed in, causing the couple to jaw-drop in shock.

"Heh, how do you know?" Nishida asked, before realizing a scenario which might happen. "Oh, evil spies..."

"Sekine's the only one spying." Hisako said stoically. "Anyway, you should go prepare yourself right now. The sooner we visit the sooner also we can escape those shadows.

"Oh, right." Nishida replied, before turning to the lilac-haired girl on his back. "You can take a bath first, if you want."

"I...I'll take a bath in my room instead, to save some time." Irie stuttered. "I'll go right now. Thanks for letting me stay last night."

"Of course, I asked you, anyway." Nishida replied.

"Ahem...anyway, meet us back at the rehearsal room when you're ready."

"Got it."

* * *

About half an hour later, Hisako, Sekine, Irie and Nishida had made their way towards the SSS HQ. As they approached, they were greeted by three male figures of the SSS, the figures being Otonashi, Hinata and Naoi.

"Oh, what brought you guys here?" Otonashi asked the group.

"We're thinking we're ready to call it quits." Sekine's the first to start.

"We understood after hearing your speech." Hisako added.

"We've made our decision." Irie also added.

"Just without hearing it, we kind of already understood. Both of our vocalists had disappeared, after all. There's no replacement for Iwasawa- _ _san__ and Yui, despite the fact that her singing was pretty bad." Hisako continued.

"Everyday was as exciting as the Culture Festival, it was a lot of fun." Irie added again.

"But, those outside of our group, might be tough to convince."

"I guess so, Huh?" Otonashi replied.

Hisako made her way and stood only a meter away in front of Otonashi, standing toughly like a member of an army. "If you're going to do it, do it to completion, or those persuasions are for nothing. If this Warfront, which had been existing for years, will have to disappear, then I want to think that this world, and you too, will have fulfilled its purpose, and we'll feel like it started to become a better place."

"For us, who never experienced a kind of adolescence before, being able to feel that we at least had an enjoyable one, I think that's more than enough."

"What are you talking about? I'm sure I had no idea at all." Otonashi laughed, clearly taken by the deepness of Hisako's words.

"Of course not." Hisako replied teasingly.

"Well, we won't know what's going to happen from now on. We're gonna be on our way now. See ya!"

Hisako high-fived the red-brown-haired guy, before turning to the purple-haired guy in their group. " _ _Nee__ , Nishida, don't you want to say something too?"

"I waited for you until you all have finished."

"Well we have."

Now everyone's eyes are on the purple-haired guy. Nishida's golden irises now was facing Otonashi.

"Otonashi- _ _san__ , I'm fully in your debt."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you've been the one that helped me during my times in the Afterlife here. You changed my opinions about friends, you regained my trust, even you're helping me recover all of my lost memories. Had it not been you, I'll never realize that Irie was my long-lost friend, I'll never get along with GirlDeMo, and even I'll never know how to treat a life to better."

"S...Shugo- _ _san__." Irie muttered.

"So, I must say, __Arigatou...hontouni...Arigatou__." Nishida said, before locking Otonashi in a brotherly hug. "I hope we can meet again in the next life, and when we do, I wanted to see you as one of the greatest doctor the world had ever known."

"I'll take your word on that. You do well too." Otonashi replied. "So, are you on the date after this?" Otonashi asked, causing smirks to half of the group, and blushes to the other half.

"W...Well, you're right. Since the shadows had been quickly cloning itself, I guess we had to quickly make our way as soon as possible, and so we have to use today as the last chance." Nishida replied, before being added by the lilac-haired girl.

"I know this probably can't replace our nine years of hollow, but since this is the only chance, we would like to use it wisely."

"Okay then, wish you luck." Otonashi replied.

"We'll form a band again next time we meet." Hisako said.

"Right, I'm sure I'll love it again, too." Otonashi replied.

"We'll be in our way." Hisako declared. "See you next time."

And thus, the four went to their respective dorms.

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

I made my way towards my dorm. Miyu...I mean Irie and I had agreed on the time, and so I had some time to prepare myself.

I thought back to the time where we first met, far back in the park of Meguro one day. Thanks to Otonashi- _ _san__ and Irie- _ _san,__ I could reclaim this memory again.

I remembered her sweet personality, the everlasting innocent smile I had ever seen before. Everlasting, because I still could see it, even when we haven't known each other here in the Afterlife.

I remembered when I was kidnapped back then. Just seconds before, I could see her happy yet angry face. I can't blame her for that, it was because of my indecisiveness. But of course, that wasn't the real problem. You know what I mean, and I felt really sorry on it, I really have to apologize.

I remembered our hangout back then when I still lost half of my memory. Seeing her smile and bashfulness blessed by her upon me was a view that can be treasured. But if I remembered that, I could really depict how she really felt. Now that I recovered, I have to pay her back for that.

A message suddenly shook me off from my daydreaming, and immediately checked it to see that the message was from Irie, just confirming that she's already waiting.

I gasped, and immediately checked my phone clock and seeing that I'm already a few minutes late. Shamefully I quickly changed my clothes and tidy myself up, and decided to meet Irie at our meeting point.

* * *

-In front of the Afterlife School Building-

As soon as I got onto the meeting point, I was met with a very unusual yet surprising sight in front of me.

A sight I had never seen before, even when we live in the living world. Nah...even I never saw it in the Afterlife either.

In front of me was Irie, with her messy lilac-hair now being tidied up, an ankle-length purple dress was covering her fair-height, slim, and a bit toned body, and a thin make-up was visible on her face. Her face overall showed a glimpse of brightness to my eyes.

"Shugo- _ _san__ , is something wrong?" Irie asked.

"U...Uh..." I wanted to compliment her but I was too shocked to see such an unusual sight. This had never been shown before. Irie never wore dresses, and never wore make-ups, and yet she uses both right now. "Y...You're...Beautiful..."

That words just came out from my lips without myself even thinking. It was the words coming out from my heart, an honest feeling.

She truly was beautiful.

Well, do not care about where the words came from, that words were strong enough to send Irie in a wave of embarrassment.

"Okay, save the blushes for later. Oh, anyway, the place we will go will be a bit far. If you're exhausted, just tell me, I will help you to the best I can."

"I get it." Irie replied softly.

And thus, both of us made our way to the shopping district where I had visited a few months/weeks prior, not knowing that actually it wasn't just the two of us."

* * *

-Flower Garden-

-3rd Person's PoV-

"Hey, look at that. Aww...aren't they cute?" Sekine said, looking at the walking couple.

"How many times should I warn you to lower your voice a bit? We all knew Nishida got a bit of enhanced abilities, right? We never know if he could even hear us right now." Hisako said.

"O...Okay then."

* * *

-Karaoke-

-Time: 11.30 AM ATZ (Afterlife Time Zone)-

The couple apparently made their way towards a place that looks like a karaoke.

In fact it really is...

"This really brings back memories, don't you think?" Nishida asked.

"Yeah, and I wonder who's there to awkwardly dance in the room while I was singing? Toyama and the others probably had labeled you a weird guy, if you so had to know." Irie replied back

"Well, I'm sorry if I was just enchanted by your voice, that's all."

"Stop that! Nishi...I mean Shugo- _ _san__ , you're embarrassing me." Irie said. "Don't you have any shame?"

"Err..." Nishida mocked a frown, though they realized that they had made their way to the front desk.

" _ _Irasshaimase!__ A room for two?" the staff asked.

'Why does it sound like a kind of love hotel...' Nishida thought. "Yeah, we'll take one-hour small room, please."

"Isn't that too short?" The staff asked. "But it's okay, I'm not one to force, but if you changed your mind and wanted to add more hour, then just contact me."

" _ _H...Hai__." Irie replied softly.

"Right, the room's right there, enjoy yourself."

Irie and Nishida made their way to the room. Unbeknownst to them, two figures are looking at them from the waiting seat behind a newspaper.

* * *

-Karaoke Room-

"We only have enough time for one more song, what do you think we should choose?" Nishida asked.

"Well..." Irie's mind suddenly went on a certain song. "How about this?" Irie said as she typed the title.

The ex-assassin can't help but feel surprised at the chosen song.

"W...Wait...this song...Ah I remember, but you don't want me to dance like before, right?" Nishida teased.

"Well, if you think you can, you can. But it'd be better if you just sing with me. It's been a while since we did so, right?"

"Yeah, and that one ended badly, I think my voice is totally no match against yours."

"You're underestimating yourself, Shugo- _ _san.__ " Irie said. "C'mon then, let's sing..."

 ** **(A/N: Insert song: Au Tabi Suki ni Natte by BRIGHT)****

"For those whose sounds are deep, you've got some heartwarming sound.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment? If so, then thanks." Nishida said, before reminiscing the lyrics of the song."Somehow, I wonder...Did you think that song actually describes us?"

"Um...Come to think of it..." Irie said.

 _'_ _ _Konna kimochi ni naru nante kinou made omoi moshinakatta'__

'I never thought that I would be feeling like this until yesterday.'

"Since you only recognized me yesterday, I guess you're right."

Somehow, both of them frowned at the same time, especially after they remembered another one of the sentence.

 _ _Itsumo issho ni iretara ii no ni__

I hope we could always be together.

But both of them knew the bitter truth that they have to face...

"Hey, Miyu- _ _chan__." Nishida said, waking Irie up from her frowning. "It's already noon, should we go and find something to eat?"

"Well, I think we should." Irie said. "So, where should we go?"

"I've only been here once, but I think there's one place I think would be good."

With that said, both of them went onto the direction of the restaurant which Nishida had chosen.

* * *

Near them...behind a bush...

"Hmm..." Sekine still spied on the two purple-hairs.

"I don't get it, Sekine. It's not like we could gain anything from spying on this two. Don't you think we should cool ourselves at the rehearsal room or the HQ? I'm going to ask Fujimaki on another Mahjong game..."

"I..." Sekine tried to think of an excuse. "I'm just curious on how this two interacted. I want to make sure Nishida- _ _san__ takes care of Miyuki- _ _chi__ very well. She's my best friend, after all."

Hisako just nodded, agreeing on the blonde, although one thing still loomed on her head.

' _ _Why do I feel something isn't right?'__

* * *

-Timeskip-

 ** **(A/N: I felt a bit complicated here. I don't know but I just can't write a scene on two people having lunch together on a date. Maybe if I can, I could rewrite this chapter including one, but for now, I'll skip it)****

* * *

-In front of Restaurant-

-Time: 2.45 PM-

With the two finally had their stomachs full, they exited the restaurant and discussed what they do next. As they walked, Nishida noticed a familiar store which he had visited on his first time in the district. His eyes were fixed on it and a certain "incident" replayed on his mind, making him smile.

"Oh, what is it, Shugo- _ _san__? You want to visit the store?" Irie asked.

"Ah, no, I'm just reminiscing one moment when I visited the store." Nishida replied, before telling him what happened when he entered the store for the first time. The incident just made Irie chuckle, especially at how hilarious it is.

"Well, that's an ex-assassin for you. With that face and a gun at your hand, I won't be surprised if you made him that afraid.

"So, you think my face is that creepy then?" Nishida mocked a frown.

"Eh, no, I mean, not for me. I thought it was good-looking instead." Irie replied, smiling.

Hearing this made Nishida felt joyed as he hugged Irie quite tightly. "Miyu- _ _chan__ , hearing that from you makes me happy."

"S...Stop it, Shugo- _ _san__ , this is a public area, it's embarrassing."

" _ _Ara__...if it isn't the scary guy which came to our store a few months ago..." suddenly a sound approached them. Both of them turned to see a young adult in front of the store. "Bringing your girlfriend this time, sir?"

"Uh..." Nishida was speechless, he can't deny it outright, but telling the adult that he's right might be quite embarrassing. "Well, yes, I guess?"

"Oh, wonderful, you're such a lucky guy to have such a beautiful girl as your girlfriend."

Irie just blushed on the remark. However, Nishida's eyes suddenly was directed on the man's shadow. The anomaly could be seen as the shadow began to stir.

'W...wait, Hinata- _ _san__ and Otonashi- _ _san__ once told me that this is exactly what happened to Naoi during their first encounter. So, if I'm not mistaken...'

"Sir! Duck!"

"Eh"

In an instant, Nishida pulled out his 5.7 and pointed it at the adult, or specifically a little higher..

"Eh, Shugo- _ _san__ , what are you..."

Irie wasn't able to finish her words since she found out by herself what happened. The stirring shadow suddenly emerged from the ground and made a dive to the storekeeper.

Which fails since Nishida shot it critically, and forced the shadow to come for him instead. Nishida was sure that it would be easy, but demolished the thought as he started to realize that many shadows suddenly appeared

"Miyu, take cover or hold on me tight. I'll take care of this!"

"S...Shugo- _ _san__...you..." Irie stopped before looking at his determined eyes. "Okay then, but don't force yourself again this time, I don't want to lose you again."

With that, she held Nishida's left arm tight. Though this restricts Nishida's movement, and bringing Nishida only capable of using one pistol, Nishida didn't even care. He was the one suggesting it, anyway.

Though, there's one other thing that Nishida didn't know, that is, Irie had a surprise for him.

* * *

-About 40-50 meters away-

"Miyuki- _ _chi__ and Nishida- _ _san__ was in trouble!" Sekine said.

"Well, yeah, but I knew they both can get over it." Hisako replied, still looking at the combat scene.

"Should we help them?"

"And showed ourselves in front of them, risking the disguise?" Hisako said. "I don't think we should."

"But...are they strong enough to defeat all of them? I mean, it's only Nishida who's capable on combat. And he got a handicap with protecting Miyuki- _ _chi__." Sekine said.

"Well, that's right, if the only person combating them is Nishida- _ _san__." Hisako said, "What if we added Irie into the combat as well?"

"Eh...but...how?"

"Don't you recognize why Irie's dress was ankle-length? And not the usual knee-length which she usually wear at many times?" Hisako smirked.

* * *

-Near the Store-

Apparently the handicap really affects Nishida's agility as he was stuck on shooting the guns on a steadfast, meaning he didn't move much, or even just standing.

Then something happened. Nishida lost his grip on Irie, resulting in a stumble on him. This made one of the shadows managed to take a grip on him. He managed to shoot the shadow gripping him, but this resulted in himself being thrown to the ground, and since he was a bit unprepared (he was holding Irie before so his focus was divided), he landed harshly on the ground.

"S...Shugo- _ _san__!" Irie cried out.

Nishida struggled and got up, before realizing that a shadow was already close on his back.

* * *

-Bushes-

"N...Nishida- _ _san__ was down! Oh no!" Sekine also exclaimed."

"Calm down," Hisako replied. "Like I said, we could put Irie in the combat picture. Just look!"

* * *

-In front of the store-

Nishida was surprised looking at the shadow on his back, as he turned onto the shadow, he immediately took a knife, but the shadow was already too close as he was grabbed again, this time on both arms, with the knife already inside the hand. Nishida knew he was hopeless right now. He didn't have any reinforcements, and the one beside him is only Irie and the shopkeeper.

He didn't knew, that actually he was in for a surprise.

A barrage of shots suddenly erupted with a soft voice, and Nishida noticed that the shadow grabbing him was being shot, and was actually done for, resulting in himself being thrown to the ground again. However he quickly retaliated and look at his back, where the shot comes from, according to his vision...

Surprisingly, he found Irie behind him, and surprisingly, on her hand was something he never expected Irie to hold. His jaw dropped looking at the abnormal picture.

On Irie's right hand was a Tec-9 Submachine Gun, coated in purple-skin that matches her lilac-colored hair, a suppressor was visible on the mouth of the gun.

"S...Shugo- _ _san...daijoubu-desuka?__ "

" _ _D...Daijoubu__..." Nishida replied. "But, where did that gun come from? No...much more than that...I never knew you could use a gun."

"I...well..."

* * *

- _ _Flashback-__

 _"_ _ _Irie-san, do you have a minute?"__

 _ _Irie looked to see a certain guy calling her. "Oh, Hinata-san, what is it?"__

 _ _-SSS HQ-__

 _"_ _ _Otonashi told me that you are going to go on a date with Nishida this morning, aren't you?"__

 _ _Irie's cheeks flushed a bit red. "Um...is it that obvious?"__

 _"_ _ _In that case..."__

 _ _Hinata took something from his back pocket, Irie realized that it was a gun, a sub-machine gun, to be exact.__

 _"_ _ _E...Eh...is that a gun? What do you..."__

 _"_ _ _Listen, Nishida's stubborn. He had just recovered from the exhaustion yesterday, and we all know the shadows are still multiplying itself. I suspected Nishida might not perform as excellent as usual, so you need to cover him also."__

 _"_ _ _Eh..b...but..."__

 _"_ _ _Irie-san, you have been with us for long, and you had also undergo some shooting practice with us too, right? What's more, as a drummer of GirlDeMo, you already got quite a strength, so, would you mind? For Nishida's sake?"__

 _"_ _ _I...I..." Irie stammered. "I guess I will take it, but where should I put it? I have no place to put the gun."__

 _"_ _ _W...Well..."__

 _"_ _ _I think I know." Hisako, which is surprisingly relaxing in the HQ, suddenly chimed in. "Irie, is it okay for you to wear an ankle-length dress during your date?"__

 _"_ _ _Eh? I don't mind."__

 _"_ _ _Then..." Hisako suddenly crouched, taking some latex strips and the gun, and stuck the SMG on Irie's left leg, and the ammo clips on her right leg. "Now, you can cover it with the dress."__

 _"_ _ _But, is it okay if it's like this? Won't Nishida notice?"__

 _"_ _ _There's only a little chance, given that he's not as focused as usual." Hinata said.__

 _"_ _ _Well, except if he stared at your legs for a long time, maybe you could just taunt him saying he's a pervert or some sort." Hisako smirked.__

 _"_ _ _Jokes aside, I trust you for this. Please protect him like he protected you before."__

 _ _Irie's face now changed into a determined look.__

 _"_ _ _I will."__

 _ _-End Flashback-__

* * *

"Uh..." Nishida stayed silent for a bit, not realizing another shadow leapt at his back. Quickly Irie aimed at the shadow and killed it with a few shots.

"Ah, Thank you." Nishida said. "Though, you could just stay at cover and let me do the job..."

"No!"

Irie scooted closer to me, positioning herself at my back so we were standing back to back.

"This time, let me protect you too, Shugo- _ _san__. Let's carry our burdens together."

And as more shadows are coming onto us, we have each other's backs, and wiped out all of them.

* * *

-Time: 3.30 PM-

"Fyuh, that took care the last of them." Nishida said, before turning to the relieved Irie behind him. "You okay, Miyu- _ _chan__?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for protecting me." Irie replied in admiration. "Anyway, what about you? If you're exhausted, then we can get some rest somewhere."

"No, it's okay, I still got some energy left in me."

"Then, I don't know if this place is okay for you, but, how about if we go to the arcade?"

"Arcade?" Irie was surprised, suddenly triggering one of her memories. "I'd love to. Don't you remember that when we were alive before, we had planned to go to one, but we always had our problems at that time."

"Then, this time let's make it work!"

* * *

-Arcade-

-Time: 3.40 PM-

The two immediately went into the arcade. Inside was not too crowded since a lot of the NPC's had been turned into shadows.

"So, which one should we play the fir..." Irie's eyes then darted onto a certain game which looks like a drumming game. "I think I'll try that."

Irie quickly made her way to the game, Nishida trailing behind her, a smile was just shown on his face. He also noticed that Irie had set the game on Extreme difficulty.

"No wonder, as expected of GirlDeMo's drummer."

"Don't you want to play other games, Shugo- _ _san__?"

"No, I'll wait until you have finished." Nishida replied.

And so Nishida watched Irie during the "game". Of course Irie had no trouble even with the difficulty since Irie was extremely well-versed in drumming.

For the next few hours, both of them enjoyed their time at the arcade. They tried more games like the grappler and even took some photos together at the arcade's photo booth. Those games eventually exhaust them to no end, but Nishida still had one more event coming up to end the day.

"Miyu- _ _chan__ , I wanted to bring you to a place."

* * *

-Park-

-Time: 5.20 PM-

Irie and Nishida decided to take a seat on the park bench near the river, facing it. Apparently it was almost sunset as the sun slowly descends. The view was something that almost no one will ever loathe.

"The sky, the setting sun, it's so beautiful." Irie said. "Thank you for finding this place, Shugo- _ _san__."

"No problem." Nishida asked the girl beside him."So, did you have fun today?"

Irie just kept silent, her face suddenly looking sad.

"Eh, Miyu- _ _chan__ , what's wrong?"

"Err...n...nothing." Irie said, very obviously lying since her face was still frowning. "It's just, the day has come to an end, doesn't it?"

"You're right. But I enjoyed it from the beginning, especially when I spent it with you." Nishida said. 'That was cheesy...Good job Nishida...'

"The same goes for me..." Irie replied. "I fully enjoyed everything for today."

The two stared at the setting sun, smiles on their faces and hands intertwined together, before Nishida started to break the silence.

" _ _Nee__...Miyu- _ _chan,"__

 _"_ Hm?"

"I had one request for you. I know this is selfish for me, but..."

"It's okay, I'll hear it."

"Can you please listen to my rambling, just this once?"

"Uh...I don't know what you mean, but sure." Irie said, before recognizing that Nishida's hands had sandwiched her right hand, and Nishida turning to her direction.

"Miyu- _ _chan__ , I know I shouldn't say this. But I'm really sorry for leaving you before, and I'm also sorry for forgetting you the first we met here. Looking back at then, I was an idiot that I can't recognize you right away, and didn't realize how you feel..."

"You know very well that I had forgiven you for that." Irie interrupted.

"Yeah, I know. And for the next part. I can't thank you enough for everything that you had done to me.

You had done your best to make me recover all of my memories. Back then, you were also the one who break me out of my shell, and you always tried to make me have many friends, even though you said you failed to do so, but you succeeded in my perspective.

You had driven me out from my dark past.

And to sum it all off, you had filled in my heart with your drum beats. __Your light had filled in the dark beats__ of my heart. And I possibly can't thank you enough for that."

' _ _What nonsense are you spouting off there, Nishida?'__

"And lastly, I don't know much about this, but for years, when we're still alive, I always thought you as my best friend, but since then, I was thinking that our closeness were so much that I don't think "friends" are enough for us. Honestly, when I was looking of you, I always had my hand clutching over my chest, because I always had that strange feeling inside it. I don't know what it is before. But at the times before that incident, I finally found out about it."

Irie tensed up. She knew very well what Nishida said, and what he had referred to. As she thought about it, she felt Nishida's hands now gripped her a bit tighter, but also trembling, a rare occasion for the ex-assassin who never trembles on his duty.

"Miyu- _ _chan__..." Nishida began to speak.

" _ _Boku...Miyu-chan no koto ga...suki da. (I like you, Miyu-chan)"__

Nishida said that out with a formal sentence, which made Irie chuckle for a moment. But deep down, Irie knew very well that it was the pure content extracted from Nishida's heart, the one covered in so much darkness, but hidden inside was a pure light of love.

Irie was just dumbfounded by Nishida's rambling and confession. For one instance, Irie knew that she didn't deserve that much thanks. But in the other, she was happy to hear that from the guy she had loved for such a long time.

"Then, Shugo- _ _san__ , can I also make a selfish request for you."

"O...Of course," Nishida said.

"Please, close your eyes."

* * *

-Nishida's PoV-

I just obeyed her and closed my eyes. I don't have any idea what Irie wanted to do with me closing my eyes.

All of a sudden, I felt something against me. I felt a very warm touch on both of my cheeks, and just seconds later, I felt a soft, warm touch on my lips too.

Only this time, I failed to maintain my obedience as I opened my eyes, and seeing Irie's face right in front of me, her hands on my cheeks, and her lips was on mine.

Even an ex-assassin like me knew what was going on.

 _ _Irie kissed me__.

My cheeks suddenly became warm, and so do the whole body of mine as I gradually tried to return the kiss. But it didn't last long as Irie parted from me, her face now was crimson red.

"This is my response, Shugo- _ _san__. These are my feelings, and my answer to the paper on the jewelry box you gave me at that time."

She didn't have to say it since I already knew about this, but she said it anyway.

" _ _Watashi wa... Shugo-san no koto ga... daisuki-desu. (I really like you (too), Shugo-san"__

Tears began to fall out from her eyes, and so do mine. We looked at each other, staring on each other, before we leaned in and had our lips touched each other for the second time.

* * *

-Behind the bushes in the park-

"Oh...My...God!" Sekine exclaimed from a place far from them. "Miyuki- _ _chi__ was so bold! I never thought that she'll actually be the one initiating a kiss."

"Shh! Calm down or they might notice us!" Hisako tried to calm the blonde down. "Looks like finally they had paid off what they had been indebted for. Shall we go back?"

"No, wait..." Sekine replied before turning to the couple again.

* * *

-Riverbed-

The couple was looking at the sunset, which was almost fully setting as the sky got darker.

"Now that we conveyed our feelings, we know what will happen, don't we?" Nishida said a bit sadly.

"Yeah, I know." Irie said, before feeling a pair of arms circling her body.

"Miyu- _ _chan__ , I know this isn't what we really want, but if fate has its way, then so be it." Nishida said as his body, starting from the feet, began to disappear, and the same goes for Irie.

"Our time together here was short, and it's even shorter as the time goes, but this is not our final goodbye, we knew that."

"I wish we could be together forever." Irie said softly, her voice was a bit muffled by Nishida's shirt. "But everything comes to an end, eventually."

"Like I said, this is not our final goodbye." Nishida replied. "I know we'll probably be apart on the next life, and it's a miracle for us to reunite again in the next life. But please, promise me something."

"Hm?"

"Please don't forget me. Put it in your mind that we'll meet again one day. And when that time comes, I promise we'll be together forever."

"I'll promise." Irie replied. "But I want you to promise me the same like you did. Please don't forget about me too."

"Fair enough."

Both of them smiled and, for the third time, the couple locked their lips together as their bodies continued to disappear.

Until both of them can't feel the other...

* * *

 ** **A/N: That ends this story. What's left is the short epilogue which will be covering a little prelude before Sticks and Guns.****

 ** **Right, for those who hadn't known, there's a sequel to this story, which is "Sticks and Guns" and focused on Nishida, Irie, and probably some other Angel Beats! Characters on their new life as a living person.****

 ** **The epilogue is in-progress! It won't take too long.****

 ** **To sum up. Thank you for everyone's support, and sorry for the weakness and some plotholes in this story. I'm still a newbie writer so I am still learning.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	24. Epilogue-Prelude to Sticks and Guns

****A/N: Here's the Epilogue of the story, or rather the Prelude to "Sticks and Guns"****

Chapter 24 - Epilogue

* * *

-New Jersey, USA-

"...And that concludes today's practice!" a long wavy black-haired girl exclaimed to her group. On her hands were a classic acoustic guitar, colored in black and red, like the common rocker usually used.

"I must say, I was really nervous because our performance day is approaching. We need to be calmer and more focused next time. But aside from that, I felt our rehearsal today really was better than before." another girl with long straight blonde hair, holding an electric guitar on her hand. "Speaking of which, why don't we go to Ash's Cafe after this? We need to relax, to lessen the tension before our performance. What do you think, Ying? Miyuki? Sherry?"

"I won't really mind, Jola. After all it was one way so we won't get nervous." Ying, a red-haired girl playing the bass guitar replied.

"Well, one shot and we're rockin'! Of course I'll agree!" Sherry, the girl with the black hair replied. "What about you, Miyu..."

The group turned to see a lilac-haired girl, which was playing the drum set, sitting on her usual stool, but with eyes which looks empty and downwards as the direction, her cheeks were red and her eyes were starting to pool with tears.

"What's wrong, Miyuki?" Sherry asked. "You look down, are you sick?"

"Eh..." the lilac-haired girl turned to them. "N...Nothing, I'm just..."

"Oh, don't tell me you're daydreaming again..." Jola suddenly teased. "Are you daydreaming about him again?"

"I...don't know what you're talking about." Miyuki replied.

"You can't keep the act, Miyuki. This is already the fourth time you did the same. You really were thinking about him." Sherry chimed in.

"R...Really?"

"Okay, I'm not going to joke here, Miyuki." Ying suddenly chimed in. "I believe in Sherry and Jola. You should've been thinking about something, or rather, someone. Your expression proves that."

"Ying's always the most perceptive of all." Sherry praised.

"I take that as a compliment." Ying replied. "I know we're going to be busy at times, but with you thinking about him/her even until you daydreamt might actually make you tenser, so I suggest, at our free time after the performance, why don't you visit him/her, to quench that missing piece of yours..."

"I appreciate your concern, girls, thank you." Miyuki replied. "The problem is, I can't just visit him outright."

"Eh, is he a special person? A bureaucrat member? An actor?"

"I don't know about that." Miyuki replied. "I don't even know where he is right now. Heck, I have no ways to contact him."

The three other girls were thrown into confusion. "Eh, how is that possible? Is he missing? Or does he even exist?" Sherry asked.

"Sherry, that's rude!" Jola interjected.

'I can't possibly tell them about the Afterlife and sort, so I have to cover it up.' Miyuki thought. "Yes, he's missing since our teenage years. It's been quite a long time now."

"I...I'm sorry to hear that." Ying said. "However, you should think positively, Miyuki. I am really sure that one day you will be reunited."

"T...Thanks..."

"So...cheer up, Miyuki. And well, do you want to join us for some time at Ash's?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah, you need to be relaxed." Jola added.

"Well, I guess I do." Miyuki replied, now feeling better looking at her colleagues cheering him up.

'I know those girls are trying to cheer me up. But I really wish they really came true. Shugo- _ _san__ , wherever you are, I know someday we will meet again...'

* * *

-New York, USA-

"Suspect was last seen in Burke Street, about 200 meters near Sea's Lull Cafe." an intercom said.

"Officer Nishida and Officer Beltrand, reporting for duty." A purple-haired guy with the name of Nishida took the task and went with his brown-haired colleague to the scene.

"Another task for us, eh, West?" the brown-haired colleague asked.

"I volunteered on this task. And stop with that West thing. That's ridiculous." Nishida said to his colleague.

"That suits you well, really..." Beltrand replied. "Well, at least I could avoid working all-day in that lame ol' building. I missed chatting with my GF, tho..."

"I prefer working outside, really, or else I'll end sleeping anytime I worked on desk duty." Nishida replied.

"Speaking of which, don't you want to try finding a GF?" Beltrand asked. "You kept turning down confessions and sort."

"I'm sure that's only your imagination." Nishida replied. "I've only got one confession and I'm not ready for that yet, so I turned her down. Besides, I have a girl I like already..."

Nishida's hand quickly covered his own mouth. Beltrand noticed this and smirked.

"Oh, never knew you had one. Care to introduce me to her?"

"As much as I wanted to, I can't. One, because I'm afraid you're going to make a move on her, and two, I don't even know where she is right now." Nishida replied.

"Huh, really? Can't you contact her?"

"If there's a way, I've been using that way already."

"You mean you can't contact her."

"No, I guess it would only be a miracle if we could reunite." Nishida asked.

"I'm sure you will. You're my best bud after all, I'll cheer you on." Beltrand said.

"Thanks, and oh, there's the spot. The suspect's still there, according to the details given to us."

Beltrand parked the car behind the suspect's car. Though as he did so, his purple-haired colleague was zoning out with thoughts.

' _ _Miyu-chan__ , __will we ever see each other again?'__

* * *

-A few meters away, on the building near them-

A red-haired boy in a dress suit was stepping on the stairs to the building's third floor. At one time, he glanced at the windows, and was surprised to see Nishida and his colleague exiting the police car and arresting the suspect.

"I...Isn't that...?"

"Hey, Yuzuru, C'mon, we'll be late. We can't keep the organizer witing" A white-haired young lady, dressed in white gown/dress said to the redhead.

"Oh, right, the time's ticking. I'm on my way, Kanade." the redhead replied. 'Ah, to live the life to the fullest, I hope everyone, wherever they are, could live happily.'

-END-

* * *

 ** **A/N: This is just a short prelude to "Sticks and Guns". So as it was stated above and in the chapters of Sticks and Guns, Nishida, Otonashi, and Kanade was reincarnated in New York, USA.****

 ** **I'm not an American, so I'm sorry if some terms might be inappropriate.****

 ** **Anyway, take a wild guess. On the last parts of the epilogue, there's a scene including Otonashi and Kanade. Could you hazard a guess on what they are doing?****

 ** **With this epilogue out, this part of the story is officially over, and we'll be going to move into Sticks and Guns, as the continuation to this story. However, just because it's over doesn't mean it would be untouched. I'm waiting for more constructive reviews and critics, and maybe at some time some chapters will be rewritten, it all depends on your reviews.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and See you soon, on the new story!****

 ** **Kage****


End file.
